In the Egyptian desert, he discovered the almost completely fully preserved skull of an old predatory mammal that lived 30 million years ago. This ancient work belongs to a group of predators that have been known as Bastetodon by scientists. Published in İş Magazine Vocabulary Journal of Paleontology (JVP).
An animal discovered in the size of a leopard had strong jaws and sharp teeth, which allowed him to occupy the top of the food chain in the African forests. Victims may be monkeys, early water stallion and elephants. Now the presence of Find-el Fayum is a desert, but millions of years ago, thick forests have been stretched.
According to the leading writer of the study of Shorok Al-Ashkar of the American University of Cairo and Cairo, the finding was a surprise: one of the team members noticed the big teeth. Paleontologists, who deepened the work of a layer of about 30 million years, rarely removed an almost complete skull for ancient mammals.
Scientists chose the name Bastetodon in honor of the ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet, who symbolized protection and good behavior. It is also a reference to the predatory teeth of the short barrel and monster. However, the researchers revised the status of another predator in Fayium for more than 120 years ago, and allocated to the new breed Sekhmetops bearing the name of the War -like Lion Chief Goddess Sekhmet.
The discovery of Bastetodon helps to better understand the evolution of predators who dominate the ecosystems of Africa before led to the ancestors of modern cats, dogs and hyenas. Researchers say that the findings in El Fayum continue to surprise and expand the ideas about the ancient fauna of the continent.
Previously, scientists discovered Mushrooms that can destroy plastic in the ocean.
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Source: Gazeta
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