Italian paleontologists from the Sapienza University of Rome have discovered when hippos first spread across Europe during the Pleistocene epoch. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine PLOS One.
Modern hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) evolved from African ancestors during the Quaternary period, which began 2.58 million years ago and continues to the present day.
These animals were once common in Europe. However, details of the origin and distribution of hippos in Europe remain unclear and widely debated.
Scientists examined a fossilized hippo skull found in the Tor de Quinto region of Rome. Experts examined the composition of the sediments in the cranial cavities and revealed its correspondence to the local geological formation of Valle Guilia. This made it possible to determine that the age of the find ranged from 560 thousand to 460 thousand years.
The research revealed that the skull is the oldest known modern hippopotamus fossil in Europe. The results shed light on the history of European hippos, supporting the hypothesis that the species dispersed during the Middle Pleistocene and contributing to a broader understanding of the deep history of these large mammals, the authors of the paper said.
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