The skull of a ferocious apex predator that possessed a terrifying bite that it used to hunt down and prey on the ancestors of early elephants and hippos has been discovered
The remains of the fierce apex predator that once roamed earth – with jaws strong enough to crush early hippos and early elephants – has been discovered.
Some not so recent 30 Million years ago, a terrifying mammal unrelated to cats, dogs or hyenas roamed what is considered modern day Egypt. Recently a team of scientists discovered an entirely new species of Hyaenodonta – big cat-like carnivorous animal – with incredibly powerful jaws.
The new species, dubbed Bastetodon Syrtos, was a ferocious Hyaenodonts like Bastetodon and existed long before modern cats and dogs. It had sharp hyena-like teeth, a study published to the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology claimed.
The animal roamed the African ecosystem and hunted primates, early hippos, early elephants and beaver like hyraxes in the prehistoric forests that were located southwest of modern Cairo, Egypt.
Matt Borths, a study co-author and Curator of Fossils at the Duke Lemur Center Museum of Natural History at Duke University in the United States, has dubbed the discovery of the animal’s skull “one of the most important fossil areas in Africa.”
He said: “Without it, we would know very little about the origins of African ecosystems and the evolution of African mammals like elephants, primates, and hyaenodonts.”
The discovery of the Hyaenodonts Bastetodon’s remains were made when a team of palaeontologists were digging through a 30 million year old rock layers called Fayum Depression for evidence of mammal evolution in Africa.
Shorouq Al-Ashqar, a study co-author and paleontologist from Mansoura University revealed the details of the historic discovery and said: “Just as we were about to conclude our work, a team member spotted something remarkable—a set of large teeth sticking out of the ground.
“His excited shout brought the team together, marking the beginning of an extraordinary discovery: a nearly complete skull of an ancient apex carnivore, a dream for any vertebrate palaeontologist.”
The species is named after the ancient Egyptian God Bastet due to the cat-like skull the animal possessed. The ancient Egyptian deity symbolised protection, pleasure, and good health.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.