Phoberomys pattersoni
| Phoberomys pattersoni | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
| |
| Fossil specimen | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Family: | †Neoepiblemidae |
| Genus: | †Phoberomys |
| Species: | †P. pattersoni
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Phoberomys pattersoni Mones 1980
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Dabbenea pattersoni Mones 1980 | |
Phoberomys pattersoni is an
Orinoco River delta around 8 million years ago. It was the second-largest of the roughly seven species of its genus. Like many other rodents, Phoberomys was a herbivore with high-crowned premolars and molars
.
Description
An almost complete skeleton was discovered in the Urumaco Formation at Urumaco, Venezuela, in 2000.[1] The new species was later classified with the name Phoberomys pattersoni in honor of palaeontologist Brian Patterson.[2]
Originally, Phoberomys pattersoni was estimated as being approximately 741 kg based on dimensions of the
Josephoartigasia monesi in 2008 showed this species to be even larger.[7] Josephoartigasia was known at the time of P. pattersoni's discovery (specifically, the species "Artigasia magna", now Josephoartigasia magna), but the size of this rodent could not easily be determined because it was only known from jaw fragments and the teeth of Josephoartigasia are unusually small relative to its body size.[3][8]
References
- ^ Phoberomys pattersoni at Fossilworks.org
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (September 18, 2003), "Giant rodent astonishes science", BBC News Online, retrieved 2008-03-18
- ^ S2CID 33953898.
- ^ S2CID 249648588.
- ^ S2CID 74872106.
- ^ S2CID 84160362.
- PMID 18198140.
- PMID 18495621.
Further reading
- McNeill Alexander, R. (2003): A Rodent as Big as a Buffalo. Science vol. 301, p. 1678-9. (HTML abstract link)