Scientists have discovered a new, extinct species of giant otters in China, estimated to weigh more than 100 pounds.
Researchers have named this ancient creature Siamogale melilutra. The team chose this name since it is a combination of the Latin names of badger "mele" and otter "lutra." These giant otters used to thrive in Yunnan province, China some 6.24 million years ago.
The fossilized remains of this prehistoric otter were uncovered in pristine condition, along with crucial skeletal parts like the cranium, mandible, and teeth. Researchers were able to identify the lost species easily in detail and determine its taxonomy and classification, historical evolution, and functional morphology as well.
According to the co-author of the study, head of paleobotany and paleoecology, Denise Su of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the cranium was incredibly complete and was found flattened during the fossilization process.
"The bones were in fragile condition that we cannot physically restore the cranium, where we opted to use CT scans instead to examine the specimen, and developed the animal's digital model via computer," she said.
According to another co-author of the study, Xiamong Wang of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, the species possesses features that are also found in modern day otters and badgers.
These ancient giant otters had distinct, large round cusped teeth. The researchers found out that they were not inherited from a common ancestor. Su and the team compared the S. melilutra's teeth with modern otters and discovered that these teeth are at least four times different within the greater otter lineage.
This type of evolution is known as "convergent evolution" when animals possess the same traits or features but belong to entirely different species just because they lived in similar habitats or environments.
This new study was published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.