The “hypercarnivore” lived 22 million years ago and probably ate the ancestors of hippos and elephants.
An ancient, enormous “hypercarnivore” that would have eaten the ancestors of hippos and elephants has been discovered in a museum draw. The creature, which has been named Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, lived 22 million years ago and would have been bigger than a saber toothed tiger and a polar bear.
“[Nancy] was taking stock of everything that had been discovered at Meswa Bridge, when she pulled open the drawer with the Simbakubwa fossils and was amazed to see such a massive carnivore,” Borths told Newsweek. Speculating on its diet, he added: “Simbakubwa was a hypercarnivore, which means it has specialized, scissor-like pairs of teeth that would have helped it efficiently slice through meat. Some of the herbivores known from the site that might have been on the menu include anthracotheres—lanky hippo relatives—and elephant relatives like the long-tusked mastodon Zygolophodon.
Eventually, as the continents moved and Africa was connected with the other continents, animals started dispersing around the globe. At this point, researchers believe the ancestors of big cats and dogs started to arrive in Africa in the south, while Simbakubwa may have started to venture north. At some point, the species went extinct. While the reasons for this are unclear, Borths said the arrival of modern carnivores coupled with climate change may have caused problems for the giant predator.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Archaeologists Discover A New Profession In An Ancient Egyptian Woman's TeethTwo dozen teeth from a 3rd millennium BC burial tell the story of a professional craftswoman in Egypt.
Read more »
Archaeologists Discover A New Profession In An Ancient Egyptian Woman's TeethTwo dozen teeth from a 3rd millennium BC burial tell the story of a professional craftswoman in Egypt.
Read more »
Teeth-whitening strips could harm layer of teeth, studies suggestA key ingredient in over-the-counter whitening strips could harm dentin tissue sitting under the tooth's enamel, new research says.
Read more »
India’s enormous election, and more from our daily podcastAlso, moderating social media and pole-dancing’s sporting ambitions
Read more »
Put down the Chewy Chips Ahoy — a ‘solidified ingredient,' recall says, might break your sweet toothMondelēz Global said there were some instances in which the cornstarch “did not fully incorporate in the mixing procedure and solidified in the baking process.”
Read more »
As Ben Beach prepares for 52nd straight Boston Marathon, he sets sights on a bigger goalBeach already holds the record for consecutive finishes but hopes to eventually break the record for total Boston finishes — 58.
Read more »
Torrent of job offers, bigger salaries offer more proof U.S. labor market is still red-hotJust because the U.S. economy has slowed doesn’t mean companies have stopped hiring or people have given up looking for work. Far from it — the jobs market...
Read more »