A fearsome, wolf-size otter with a big head and a strong jaw as soon as swam across the shallow, swampy waters of historic China, probably trying to find clams and different shellfish, a brand new examine finds.
The 6.2-million-year-old beast is among the many largest otter species on report, the researchers within the new examine mentioned. At 110 lbs. (50 kilograms), the animal would have been about twice the dimensions of the modern-day South American big river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) and about 4 instances the dimensions of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), the researchers mentioned.
"This extinct otter is bigger than all residing otters," mentioned examine lead researcher Xiaoming Wang, a curator of vertebrate paleontology on the Pure Historical past Museum of Los Angeles County in California. [See images of the fearsome wolf-size otter]
Researchers found the otter's stays in 2010, after a Chinese language and U.S. discipline staff discovered an almost full cranium in Shuitangba quarry, positioned in southwestern China.
"The cranium was in contrast to [that of] every other animals discovered to date, and that is after we realized that that is one thing distinctive and necessary," Wang instructed Reside Science.
Nonetheless, piecing the cranium collectively was a difficult feat. "As a result of the cranium was preserved in comfortable brown coal, it has been badly crushed right into a pancake-like form through the compaction of soppy sediments," Wang mentioned.
By utilizing a computed tomography (CT) scanner, examine co-author Stuart White, a professor emeritus of maxillofacial radiology on the College of California, Los Angeles, was in a position to digitally restore the cranium's 3D form. Wang in contrast the reconstruction to "taking part in a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, solely to be performed by laptop mouse relatively than by arms."
As a result of the cranium was flattened like a pancake, researchers did a computed tomography (CT) scan of the fossil. Every coloration on this digital scan represents a person fragment.
Credit score: Stuart C. WhiteLater, in 2015, the researchers discovered extra fossils within the quarry belonging to the identical species; these finds included decrease jaws, enamel and several other limb bones, Wang mentioned.
Obscure otter
A cranial evaluation confirmed that whereas the cranium of the newly found creature is like that of an otter, it has badger-like enamel, Wang mentioned. This impressed the researchers to call the newfound species Siamogale melilutra, as a result of "meles" is Latin for badger and "lutra" is Latin for otter, Wang mentioned.
S. melilutra belongs to an "obscure group of extinct otter in East Asia [that] diverged early from the principle otter lineage and shaped a definite group of its personal," Wang mentioned. Till now, researchers solely knew about this lineage from fossilized enamel present in Thailand, the scientists mentioned.
The cranium is like that of an otter, however the enamel are like these of a badger.
Credit score: Xiaoming WangFurthermore, the brand new findings counsel that S. melilutra belongs to one of many oldest and most primitive otter lineages, one which goes again at the very least 18 million years, to the European, badger-like animal Paralutra, the researchers mentioned.
It is unclear why S. melilutra was so massive, the researchers mentioned. Often, when carnivores evolve to be giant, it is in order that they've the power to subdue prey, Wang mentioned.
"However in our fossil otter, it's extra probably a mollusk eater, and its highly effective cranium and jaws could also be designed to crack powerful shells of clams," he mentioned.
Wang famous that fashionable sea otters additionally crack mollusks. However along with utilizing their highly effective enamel, these fashionable species additionally use instruments — that's, rocks — to smash open the shells. [10 Animals That Use Tools]
"Maybe our fossil otter had not discovered to make use of rocks, and as a substitute [would] apply brute power to crush onerous shells," Wang mentioned.
This query is only one of many who researchers have about S. melilutra, mentioned examine co-researcher Denise Su, a curator on the Cleveland Museum of Pure Historical past.
"We're working to reply questions relating to its paleobiology, like, 'How did it swim? How did it transfer on the bottom? Why is it so giant?'"
The examine was printed on-line right now (Jan. 23) within the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.
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