In Depth Ursus spelaeus, better known as the cave bear is by far one of the most common Pleistocene mammals in the fossil record, thanks mainly due to its behaviour of frequenting caves. In fact the fossils of Ursus spelaeus are so numerous that in World War I the German army used them as a … Read more
In Depth Dilambdogale is a shrew-like mammal that lived in Egypt during the early Eocene. Further Reading - The oldest and youngest records of Afrosoricida (Placentalia, Afrotheria) from the Fayum Depression of northern Egypt. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 55 (4): 599–616. - Erik R. Seiffert - 2010.
In Depth Macrosqualodelphis is a genus of river dolphin that is known to have lived in waters of Peruvian South America during the Miocene. Further Reading - A new large squalodelphinid (Cetacea, Odontoceti) from Peru sheds light on the Early Miocene platanistoid disparity and ecology. - Royal Society Open Science 5(4):172302. - G. Bianucci, G. … Read more
In Depth Although only known from teeth, these have confirmed that Kogiopsis is an extinct sperm whale. The teeth of Kogiopsis had crowns that were between three and five centimetres long, and may have been used against other marine mammals such as smaller whales. The teeth of Kogiopsis are often available to buy through fossil … Read more
In Depth The name Libycosaurus is definitely a misnomer to be sure. When Libycosaurus was first named by Bonarelli in 1947 the partial fossil remains were thought to be those of a dinosaur. It was only later that it was realised that Libycosaurus was actually a kind of prehistoric relative of hippopotamuses. At the time … Read more
In Depth Originally named in 2016 as Matapa, it was later discovered that the name Matapa had already been used to name a genus of butterfly. Therefore later in 2016, a new name, Matapanui was established for the genus. Matapanui is a genus of whale and a kind that was a precursor to the baleen … Read more
In Depth Further Reading Further reading- The Maori Dog: A Study of the Polynesian Dog of New Zealand. Auckland. – M.A Thesis, Department of Anthropology, University of Auckland. – Jan Alto – 1970.- The Dentition of the Maori Dog of New Zealand. – Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. Auckland. Auckland Institute and Museum. … Read more
In Depth Silvacola is a genus of primitive hedgehog that lived in North America during the early Eocene. With an estimated body length of only five to six centimetres, Silvacola is the smallest hedgehog ever discovered. Further Reading - Early Eocene mammals from the Driftwood Creek beds, Driftwood Canyon Provincial Park, northern British Columbia. - … Read more
In Depth Xenokeryx is a genus of palaeomerycid artiodactyl mammal that lived in western Europe during the Miocene. Xenokeryx is noted to have a bizarre T-shaped horn rising up from the back of the skull. This horn is the inspiration of the type species name X. amidalae, which is a reference to the character of … Read more
In Depth A relative of the gomphothere elephants, Stegomastodon along with Cuvieronius was one of only two known elephant genera to spread into South America (remains once considered to belong to the Mammut genus are now assigned to these two genera). Unlike other gomphothere elephants (those like Gomphotherium), Stegomastodon only had two tusks that grew … Read more