Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Ancient kitten-sized predator found!

Darpan News Desk IANS, 09 May, 2014 12:22 PM
    A kitten-sized but formidable hunter preyed on animals of its size in Bolivia about 13 million years ago, researchers have found.
     
    "The animal would have been about the size of a marten, a catlike weasel found in the northeastern United States and Canada, and probably filled the same ecological niche," said Russell Engelman of Case Western Reserve University in the US.
     
    Analysis of a partial skull that had been in a University of Florida collection more than three decades showed that the predator is one of the smallest species reported in the extinct order Sparassodonta.
     
    The researchers refrained from naming the new species mainly because the specimen lacks well-preserved teeth, which are the only parts preserved in many of its close relatives.
     
    The skull, which would have been a little less than 3 inches long if complete, shows the animal had a very short snout.
     
    A socket, or alveolus, in the upper jaw shows it had large, canines, that were round in cross-section much like those of a meat-eating marsupial, called the spotted-tailed quoll, found in Australia today, the researchers said.
     
    "Most predators do not go after animals of equal size, but these features indicate this small predator was a formidable hunter," said Darin Croft, an anatomy professor at Case Western Reserve University.
     
    The findings appeared in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Low testosterone levels linked to aggressive prostate cancer

    Low testosterone levels linked to aggressive prostate cancer
    Low levels of testosterone can be associated with aggressive prostate cancer and indicate worsening of the disease in men who are afflicted by it, a significant study has said.

    Low testosterone levels linked to aggressive prostate cancer

    Stay fit for strong memory power

    Stay fit for strong memory power
    One's fitness can also help achieve a strong memory power, a new study has suggested while adding that people who are out of shape struggle to retain information.

    Stay fit for strong memory power

    Revealed: How you chose your husband

    Revealed: How you chose your husband
    What sounds better: a pizza that is 90 percent fat free or a pizza with 10 percent fat? You would rush for the pizza with first message although the choice is the same. The same principle applies when you choose your mate!

    Revealed: How you chose your husband

    Guess what, your nose can be used to sniff out opposite sex

    Guess what, your nose can be used to sniff out opposite sex
    You are not aware of this at the conscious level but your nose is busy doing its job - sniffing out that feminine smell from secretions her body is oozing near you in marketplace, office or mall!

    Guess what, your nose can be used to sniff out opposite sex

    Know how Egyptians moved giant rocks to build pyramids

    Know how Egyptians moved giant rocks to build pyramids
    It is time to rewrite history books. The mystery of how Egyptians moved huge stones to build pyramids has been unlocked, finally.

    Know how Egyptians moved giant rocks to build pyramids

    Sick wives face high divorce risk: Study

    Sick wives face high divorce risk: Study
    The vows of togetherness often fall apart among couple when the wife - but not the husband - becomes seriously ill, a significant study has revealed.

    Sick wives face high divorce risk: Study