Siamogale melilutra

(Redirected from Siamogale)

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]

Siamogale melilutra
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Siamogale
Species:
S. melilutra
Binomial name
Siamogale melilutra
Wang, Grohé, Su, White, Ji, Kelley, You & Yang, 2017

Siamogale Melilutra Media

References

  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.