In Egypt have discovered the remains of previously unknown predators
A new species of carnivorous mammal of gandonov, fossilized remains of which were discovered in Egypt, was named in honor of the God Anubis. Description of the remains presented in the article of American scientists in the journal PLOS ONE.
Hyaenodonts were the predecessors of modern predators, living in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. Their sizes differ very much: the larger species reach three feet in length, while small in size resembled modern weasels.
The found remains belong to an animal the size of a skunk. Their age is estimated at 34 million years old. A new species got its name, Masrasector nananubis, after the Egyptian God of the underworld, Anubis, who was depicted with the head of a Jackal or dog.
Find paleontologists consists of jaws, almost as much as skulls and bones of extremities. The researchers compared them to modern mammals and suggested that these predators lived on the earth (and not climbing trees) and moved very quickly.
“Hyaenodonts been one of the main predators in Africa after the extinction of the dinosaurs. This new kind we associate with the remains from a dozen individuals, which includes skulls and bones of the forelimbs, and this means we will be able to know what they ate, how they moved and why he died, when relatives of dogs, cats and hyenas began to spread over Africa,” said one of the authors, a researcher from Ohio state University Matthew Bors.