Xibalbaonyx
Xibalbaonyx | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Pilosa |
Family: | †Megalonychidae |
Subfamily: | † Megalonychinae
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Genus: | †Xibalbaonyx Stinnesbeck et al. (2017) |
Type species | |
†Xibalbaonyx oviceps Stinnesbeck et al 2017
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Other species | |
Xibalbaonyx is an extinct genus of
Discovery and taxonomy
The holotype of X. oviceps is a mostly complete skeleton discovered in an underwater cave system,[1] while X. microcaninus being known from a complete skull and mandible from the sediments of the former paleolake of lake Jalisco.[2] The overlapping remains of the skull and mandibles have notable differences between them, enough to call them distinct species. A third species X. exiniferis was described in 2020, also from an underwater cave in the Yucatan Peninsula, it is known from a "fragmentary left mandibular ramus, an atlas, and a left humerus".[3] In 2020, a description of the postcranial remains of the holotype X. oviceps was published[4] In 2021, remains of a form closely related to Xibalbaonyx was reported from the Pleistocene of Cueva de Iglesitas near Caracas, Venezuela.[5]
Description
Xibalbaonyx oviceps was about 2 metres long and weighed about 200 kilograms,[4] with a similar weight suggested for X. exiniferis.[3] The forearms of X. oviceps are well built and likely had well developed muscles, with the range of mobility of the limbs being high. These are suggested to be adaptations for climbing, as is done by similarly sized black bears.[4]