The hypercarnivore Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae became the first mammal with razor-sharp teeth that ever lived.
This was revealed when scientists managed to identify a jawbone that was 42 million years old.
The results of the study said that the bones came from mysterious hypercarnivorous animals. According to estimates, the animal roamed California during its lifetime.
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Fossil Hypercarnivora Diegoaelurus Vanvalkenburghae
D. vanvalkenburghae is now extinct. The D. vanvalken species has only left dozens of fossils that have been identified.
The species D. vanvalkenburghae became a mysterious sharp-toothed hypercarnivore that probably dates from the Eocene epoch (55.8 million to 33.9 million years ago).
These hypercarnivorous animals live in the ancient rainforests of Southern California, South America (USA). They have a hobby of hunting tapirs and small rhinos.
Paleontologists from the Natural History Museum in the United States (The Nat) originally collected the specimen in 1988 from a site known as the Santiago Formation on Oceanside.
At the time, the carnivore’s saber-toothed fossil was a lesser-known find, but had been collected more than three decades ago.
The fossils that have been collected in the form of a lower jaw bone are almost complete with a set of teeth. Interestingly, the teeth are still well preserved.
“The jawbone fossils have been very well identified as flesh-eating animals,” explains Ashley Poust, a postdoctoral researcher in vertebrate paleontology.
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First Fanged Mammals
Researchers consider the hypercarnivorous species Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae to be the first mammal with sword-like fangs and sharp teeth.
Paleontologists even managed to identify these new predators from their lower jawbones.
They ended up doing a thorough inspection with photos from various angles. Finally, the research team managed to build a more detailed 3D model of the fossilized bones and teeth.
From the 3D model, they believe that this animal does not only come from the Machaeroidine species, but with a new genus.
Researchers finally named this hypercarnivorous animal Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae. The naming aims to honor the origin of the hypercarnivorous mammal fossils.
In addition, the naming also aims to honor the services of scientist Blaire Van Valkenburgh with his very large work on the evolution of carnivores.
This hypercarnivorous animal has the size of a large polar bear, tiger, or cat. However, their lifestyle is as a meat predator.
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Modern cats also have slits on the back of their lower canines for growth as D. vanvalkenburghae, has a low bony chin that helps house its sharp teeth.
The discovery of the hypercarnivore D. vanvalkenburghae in ancient California’s dense rainforest is evidence that the place was once home to ancient animals, such as lemurs and marsupials the size of a wild boar. (R10/HR-Online)
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