Giant predatory mammals in Kenya discovered

Paleontologists describe in a magazine a Predator, which was probably the largest carnivorous mammals in the history of Evolution. The species Simbakubwa kutokaafrika lived about 23 million years ago in East Africa. Externally, the Predator was similar to probably present-day hyenas and dogs. The mammal group is extinct millions of years ago. the

paleontologists have discovered in Kenya is one of the largest meat-eating mammals of all time. The animal was likely to have been up to 1500 pounds and "may be larger than a polar bear," reported researchers led by Matthew Borths from the Ohio University in the USA. Therefore, the dominant meat-eater, it was around 23 million years in the environment and could most likely hunt animals, the present-day elephants and hippos resemble.

The species was baptized Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, as the scientists in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology to write. "Simba" means the East African language widely used Swahili for "lion", "kubwa" means "big" and "kutokaafrika" "out of Africa".

Similarity with dogs and hyenas

The animal has been identified, therefore, on the basis of an incomplete mandible as well as teeth and bone fragments. These have been decades ago, in the Fund Meswa Bridge in the West of Kenya place dug out.

unlike his Name suggests, was not related to the animal according to the researchers, information with present-day big cats, but belongs to an extinct mammalian group, the so-called Hyaenodonta that were prevalent in Eurasia, North America and Parts of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Externally, these predators were similar to today's dogs, and hyenas. The last representative of the mammal group probably died around eleven million years ago.

Long as one had believed that the Fund belonged to a smaller species. The new investigations at the Nairobi national Museum, showed according to the researchers, but that it is a new species and also the oldest known representative of carnivorous giants. The teeth and bone fragments were, therefore, probably of a young male animal. The age of the researchers to the fact that the teeth are remarkable little worn.

The scientists believe that the size of the Tiers had to do with the environment. Changes in nature during this time led to larger herbivores could live on the earth, as the researchers explained. This could, in turn, by larger meat-eaters hunted. Large carnivores, such as Simbakubwa existed, therefore, several million years long.