Siamogale melilutra
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 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Siamogale |
| Species: | S. melilutra
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| Binomial name | |
| Siamogale melilutra Wang, Grohé, Su, White, Ji, Kelley, You & Yang, 2017
| |
References
- ↑ Sid Perkins. Enormous otters once roamed southwestern China. Science AAAS (January 23, 2017)American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Siamogale melilutra: Giant Otter Fossils Reveal New Species (January 23, 2017)Sci News. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ↑ Xiaoming Wang. 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 (2018). p. 39–65. doi:10.1080/14772019.2016.1267666.
- ↑ Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Wolf-size extinct otter discovered: 6.24 million years old (January 23, 2017)ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
- ↑ Scientists Discover Prehistoric Giant Otter Species In China (January 23, 2017)NPR.