Siamogale melilutra

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Siamogale melilutra
Temporal range: Late Miocene, 11–5.333 Ma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Siamogale
Species:
S. melilutra
Binomial name
Siamogale melilutra
Wang, Grohé, Su, White, Ji, Kelley, You & Yang, 2017

Siamogale melilutra was an extinct species of giant otter.[1] It is from the late Miocene epoch, from Yunnan province, China.[2] The skull has a combination of otter-like and badger-like cranial features.[2] The new species belongs to the Lutrinae subfamily.[3] Siamogale melilutra was about the size of a wolf.[4] It was estimated to about 50 kilograms (110 lb).[2] This is two to three times larger than any modern otter species.[5]

References[change | change source]

  1. Sid Perkins (January 23, 2017). "Enormous otters once roamed southwestern China". Science AAAS. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Siamogale melilutra: Giant Otter Fossils Reveal New Species". Sci News. January 23, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  3. Xiaoming Wang; et al. (2018). "A new otter of giant size, Siamogale melilutra sp. nov. (Lutrinae: Mustelidae: Carnivora), from the latest Miocene Shuitangba site in north-eastern Yunnan, south-western China, and a total-evidence phylogeny of lutrines". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 16: 39–65. doi:10.1080/14772019.2016.1267666. S2CID 58892181.
  4. Cleveland Museum of Natural History (January 23, 2017). "Wolf-size extinct otter discovered: 6.24 million years old". ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  5. "Scientists Discover Prehistoric Giant Otter Species In China". NPR. January 23, 2017.