Siamogale melilutra

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

Siamogale melilutra is an extinct species of giant otter from the late Miocene from Yunnan province, China.

The skull reveals a combination of otter-like and badger-like cranial and dental characteristics. The new species belongs to the Lutrinae because of its possession of a large infraorbital canal and ventral expansion of the mastoid process, among other traits.[1] Siamogale melilutra was about 1.9 m (6.25 ft) in overall length and weighed at least 40 kg (88 pounds). [2] The remains of the skull were found in China and were re-created with a special program called the CT scan which is able to reconstruct the skeleton without being damaged.

References

  1. ↑ Xiaoming Wang; et al. "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. doi:10.1080/14772019.2016.1267666.
  2. ↑ "Scientists Discover Prehistoric Giant Otter Species In China". NPR. January 23, 2017.


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