They discovered a new giant mammal species: the kutokaafrika of Simbakubwa – 22/04/2019

The paleontologists of the University of Ohio are discovering a new species of carnivorous mammal African extinct, bigger than a polar bear, with a skull as big as that of a rhinoceros and huge canines.

In a new study published in the "Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology", researchers named her "Simbakubwa kutokaafrika", a gigantic carnivore known for most of his jaw, parts of his skull and parts of his skeleton. The fossils of 22 million years They were discovered in Kenya decades ago when researchers traveled the region in search of evidence of ancient monkeys.

The specimens were placed in a drawer of Kenya's national museums and received little attention until Ohio University researchers Dr. Nancy Stevens and Dr. Matthew Borths rediscovered them, recognizing their presence. importance.

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"When we opened the drawer of a museum, we saw a row of gigantic teeth that ate meat, clearly belonging to a new species for scienceBorths, Borths, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Science Foundation, with Stevens at the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Ohio University at the time of the research, and now Conservative of the Division, said in a statement. Duke Lemur Center at Duke University.

At the top of the food chain

"Simbakubwa" is in Swahili "big lion" because the animal was probably at the top of the food chain in Africajust like lions in modern African ecosystems. However, "Simbakubwa" was not closely related to big cats nor to any other mammalian carnivore living today. Instead, the creature belonged to an extinct group of mammals called hyaenodontos.

The hyaenodontos were the first carnivores of mammals in Africa. For about 45 million years after the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs, the henenodonts they were the main predators in Africa. Then, after millions of years of almost total isolation, tectonic movements of the Earth's plates connected Africa to the northern continents, thus allowing for floral exchanges and wildlife among the landmbades .

At the time of "Simbakubwa", parents of cats, hyenas and dogs began to arrive in Africa from Eurasia. When relatives of cats and dogs headed south, relatives of "Simbakubwa" headed north. "It's a fascinating moment in the biological history," says Borths. Lineages that had never been found begin to appear together in the fossil record"

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The name of the species "kutokaafrika" is found in Swahili "comes from Africa" ​​because "Simbakubwa" is the oldest of the giant hyaenodonts, suggesting that this line of giant carnivores is probably native to the African continent north to flourish for millions of years.

In the end, the hyaenodontes of the whole world have disappeared. Global ecosystems were changing 18 to 15 million years ago, with grbadlands replacing forests and new, diverse mammal lines.

"We do not know exactly what led to the extinction of the hyaenodontes, but the ecosystems quickly evolved as the global climate darkened." The gigantic parents of "Simbakubwa" figured among the last hyaenodontes on the planet, "says Borths.

"It's a fundamental fossil that demonstrates the importance of museum collections in understanding the history of evolution," says Stevens, a professor at Osteopathic Medicine College at Ohio University and co-author of study. "& # 39; Simbakubwa & # 39; is a window to a bygone era. With the modification of the ecosystems, a key predator has disappeared, announcing transitions of the Cenozoic fauna that have finally led to the evolution of modern African fauna, "he concludes.

Source: DPA

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