22 million-year-old fossils belonging to an ancient apex predator larger than a polar bear called Simbakubwa, or ‘big lion’ found in a museum drawer in Kenya
- Paleontologists have discovered a new species of mammal called Simbakubwa
- The creature belonged to an extinct group of mammals called hyaenodonts
- It had a skull as large as a rhinoceros and had enormous piercing canine teeth
- The 22-million-year-old fossils were found in Kenya decades ago and placed in a drawer until researchers rediscovered them and recognised their significance
A new species of apex predator which was larger than a polar bear and had enormous piercing teeth has been discovered.
Paleontologists discovered the 22 million-year-old mammal’s fossils in a drawer where they were placed in a museum in Kenya.
The specimens were not given a great deal of attention until Ohio University researchers rediscovered them and recognised their significance.
It was named Simbakubwa, Swahili for ‘big lion’, because the animal was likely at the top of the food chain in Africa when it lived, as lions are in modern Africa.
Yet Simbakubwa was not closely related to big cats or any other mammalian carnivore alive today.
Instead, the creature, which had a skull as large as that of a rhinoceros, belonged to an extinct group of mammals called hyaenodonts.
These were cat-like in appearance and dominated Africa after the dinosaurs became extinct 66 million years ago.
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The Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, a gigantic carnivore known from most of its jaw, portions of its skull, and parts of its skeleton, was a hyaenodont that was larger than a polar bear
The massive carnivore would have been an intimidating part of the eastern African ecosystems occupied by early apes and monkeys.
The researchers named it Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, a gigantic carnivore known from most of its jaw, portions of its skull, and parts of its skeleton.
The fossils were unearthed in Kenya decades ago as researchers canvassed the region searching for evidence of ancient apes.
Specimens were placed in a drawer at the National Museums of Kenya and not given a great deal of attention until Dr. Nancy Stevens and Dr. Matthew Borths rediscovered them, recognizing their significance.
‘Opening a museum drawer, we saw a row of gigantic meat-eating teeth, clearly belonging to a species new to science,’ said study lead author Dr Borths.
Hyaenodonts were the first mammalian carnivores in Africa, but after millions of years of near-isolation, tectonic movements of the Earth’s plates connected Africa with the northern continents allowing floral and faunal exchange between landmasses.
Around the time of Simbakubwa, the relatives of cats, hyenas, and dogs began to arrive in Africa from Eurasia.
The Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, an extinct hyaenodont, with a skull as large as that of a rhinoceros and enormous piercing canine teeth, would have been an intimidating part of the eastern African ecosystems occupied by early apes and monkeys
As the relatives of cats and dogs were going south, the relatives of Simbakubwa were going north.
‘We don’t know exactly what drove hyaenodonts to extinction, but ecosystems were changing quickly as the global climate became drier.
The gigantic relatives of Simbakubwa were among the last hyaenodonts on the planet,’ said Dr Borths.
Professor Stevens, who also led the study said: ‘This is a pivotal fossil, demonstrating the significance of museum collections for understanding evolutionary history’.
‘Simbakubwa is a window into a bygone era. As ecosystems shifted, a key predator disappeared, heralding Cenozoic faunal transitions that eventually led to the evolution of the modern African fauna.’
