In Depth Piscobalaena is a genus of filter feeding whale known to have inhibited the waters between South and North America during the Miocene. This seaway was a popular transit route for whales swimming from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific and back again. It was also fraught with danger however as giant sharks, including … Read more
In Depth Though only named from a jaw and associated fore limb bones, the 2013 description of Rhizosmilodon meant excitement for anyone interested in the machairodonts, better known as the sabre-toothed cats. As of 2013, Rhizosmilodon is considered to be the oldest known member of the Smilodontini, the type genus of which is the world … Read more
In Depth Gagadon is a genus of artiodactylan mammal that lived in North America during the Eocene. Gagadon is named after the pop singer Lady Gaga. Also in 2014 another mammal genus was named after a famous singer, this time Mick Jagger, and the animal genus in question being Jaggermeryx. Further Reading - A new … Read more
In Depth Whereas most modern mustelids are relatively small predators that hunt small animals, Megalictis was the prehistoric giant that was comparable to modern dogs and big cats. However exactly how big remains a matter of debate amongst researchers with some saying that Megalictis was relatively light weight at around twenty kilograms, with others suggesting … Read more
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