Siamogale melilutra

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

Siamogale melilutra
Temporal range: Late Miocene, 11–5.333 Ma
Scientific classification
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

Ranking among the largest fossil otters, Siamogale represents a feeding ecomorphology with no living analog. Its giant size and high mandibular strength confer shell-crushing capability matched only by other extinct molluscivores, such as the marine bear Kolponomos.[1]

Taxonomy

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.[2] Siamogale melilutra was about 1.9 m (6.25 ft) in overall length and weighed at least 40 kg (88 pounds).[3] 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. Tseng, Z. Jack; Su, Denise F.; Wang, Xiaoming; White, Stuart C.; Ji, Xueping (2017-11-09). "Feeding capability in the extinct giant Siamogale melilutra and comparative mandibular biomechanics of living Lutrinae". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 1–10. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-15391-9. ISSN 2045-2322.
  2. 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.
  3. "Scientists Discover Prehistoric Giant Otter Species In China". NPR. January 23, 2017.


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