In Depth Gandakasia is a little known genus of primitive whale from Pakistan, and not surprising given that the genus was named only upon the description of teeth. Further Reading - Pal�ontologische und geologische Untersuchungen im Terti�r von Pakistan. - Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften Mathewmatisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 91:1-54. - R. Dehm & T. Oettingen-Spielberg - 1958.
In Depth As a nimravid, Dinictis looked and hunted like a cat, yet it hunted across North America during a much earlier period before the emergence of true cats, hence the reason why the label of ‘false sabre-toothed cat’ is often applied to Dinictis as well as the other nimravids. One key difference is the … Read more
In Depth Plesiadapis is popularly depicted as the ancestor of the primates, something that is reflected in its name that means ‘near Adapis’, one of the earliest known primates. This idea is not without its critics however, with most palaeontologists preferring to treat it as a representative of an ancestral form rather than ‘the’ ancestor … Read more
In Depth Simbakubwa is a genus of large hyaenodont that lived in Africa during the Miocene. Further Reading - Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, gen. et sp. nov. (Hyainailourinae, Hyaenodonta, ‘Creodonta,’ Mammalia), a gigantic carnivore from the earliest Miocene of Kenya. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 39: e1570222. - M. R. Borths & N. J. Sevens - 2019.
In Depth Just one of many primitive whale forms from Pakistan, Takracetus is related to other primitive forms such as Rodhocetus and Protocetus amongst others. Further Reading Further reading- New archaeocetes (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Middle Eocene Domanda Formation of the Sulaiman Range, Punjab (Pakistan). – Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan … Read more
In Depth Victoriaceros is a genus of extinct elamostherine rhinoceros that lived in what is now Kenya during the mid Miocene. The nasal horn of Victoriaceros has been noted as being particularly large. Victoriaceros is named after Lake Victoria in Kenya which is near where the holotype remains were found. The type species name means … Read more
In Depth Further Reading – Pleistocene remains of the lion-like cat (Panthera atrox) from the Yukon Territory and northern Alaska – Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 6(5) C. R. Harrington – 1969. – Mandibular and dental abnormalities of two Pleistocene American lions (Panthera leo atrox) from Yukon Territory. – B. F. Beebe & T. J. … Read more
In Depth Although best known from the Sivalik Hills, Sivapithecus seems to have had a much broader geographical distribution. This is in part down to fossils of other genera such as Ankarapithecus and Palaeopithecus being reassigned to Sivapithecus. One genus in particular called Ramapithecus was previously heralded as an ancestor of humans, but as more … Read more
In Depth Pakicetus may well be the oldest known ancestor to modern whales, and along with other animals such as Ambulocetus, represent the group of terrestrial carnivores that began developing adaptations for a wholly aquatic lifestyle. Due to its transitional nature, it is hard to say with certainty how Pakicetus lived. Its ear structure is … Read more
In Depth Leptalestes is a genus of metatherian mammal that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A revision of “pediomyid” marsupials from the Late Cretaceous of North America. - Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 52(2):217-256. - B. M. Davis - 2007.