Siamogale melilutra is an extinct species of giant otter from the late Miocene from Yunnan province, China.
| Siamogale melilutra Temporal range: Late Miocene,
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | †Siamogale |
| Species: | †S. melilutra
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| Binomial name | |
| †Siamogale melilutra Wang, Grohé, Su, White, Ji, Kelley, You & Yang, 2017
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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 bear-like marine stem-pinniped Kolponomos.[1]
Taxonomy
editThe 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][4] The remains of the skull were found in China and were re-created with a CT scan which enabled the skeleton to be reconstructed without damaging it.
References
edit- ^ 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): 15225. Bibcode:2017NatSR...715225T. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-15391-9. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5680181. PMID 29123190.
- ^ 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. Bibcode:2018JSPal..16...39W. doi:10.1080/14772019.2016.1267666. S2CID 58892181.
- ^ "Scientists Discover Prehistoric Giant Otter Species In China". NPR. January 23, 2017.
- ^ "Siamogale melilutra: Giant Otter Fossils Reveal New Species". SciNews. January 23, 2017.
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