Siamogale melilutra
Siamogale melilutra | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Mustelidae |
Genus: | †Siamogale |
Species: | †S. melilutra
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Binomial name | |
†Siamogale melilutra Wang, Grohé, Su, White, Ji, Kelley, You & Yang, 2017
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Siamogale melilutra is an extinct species of giant otter from the late Miocene from Yunnan province, China.
Taxonomy
The skull reveals a combination of otter-like and badger-like cranial and dental characteristics. The new species belongs to the Lutrinae because of its possession of a large infraorbital canal and ventral expansion of the mastoid process, among other traits.[1] Siamogale melilutra was about 1.9 m (6.25 ft) in overall length and weighed at least 40 kg (88 pounds).[2] The remains of the skull were found in China and were re-created with a special program called the CT scan which is able to reconstruct the skeleton without being damaged.
References
- ^ Xiaoming Wang; et al. (2018). "A new otter of giant size, Siamogale melilutra sp. nov. (Lutrinae: Mustelidae: Carnivora), from the latest Miocene Shuitangba site in north-eastern Yunnan, south-western China, and a total-evidence phylogeny of lutrines". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 16: 39–65. doi:10.1080/14772019.2016.1267666.
- ^ "Scientists Discover Prehistoric Giant Otter Species In China". NPR. January 23, 2017.
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