🐀 A rodent as heavy as a big dog roamed Thailand some 34 million years ago
Two fossil teeth from a Thai coal mine reveal Yakamys sirindhornae, a giant rodent that may have weighed about 30 kg, roughly twice its known neighbours.
The mystery
Today the biggest rodent alive is the capybara of South America. But were giant rodents always a South American story?
The answer
An international team including McGill University scientists studied a lower molar and a lower incisor dug up in the Krabi lignite mine of southern Thailand. Using seven methods that estimate body weight from tooth size, they put the animal at roughly 30 kilograms (about 66 pounds), around double the weight of other rodents from its era. The name joins the Thai word 'yak' (giant) with the Greek 'mys' (mouse) and honours Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for her support of science. The researchers stress that a weight based on just two teeth is only a rough guess.
Now think about this
If two small teeth can reveal a giant, what other surprising animals might still be hiding in the rocks?