1 month ago
Artistic reconstruction shows a Pebanista yacuruna successful nan murky waters of nan Peruvian proto-Amazonia. Image courtesy of Jaime Bran/University of Zurich
March 20 (UPI) -- An world squad of researchers recovered nan remains of a elephantine freshwater dolphin that is astir 16 cardinal years aged and nan largest stream dolphin type ever found, nan University of Zurich announced Wednesday.
The recently discovered type is named Pebanista yacuruna aft a mythical group of aquatic group thought by immoderate to person inhabited nan Amazon basin agelong ago.
"After 2 decades of activity successful South America, we had recovered respective elephantine forms from nan region, but this is nan first dolphin of its kind," Marcelo Sanchez-Villagra, head of nan paleontology section astatine nan University of Zurich said.
Researchers discovered nan dolphin's remains successful nan Peruvian Amazon area and opportunity it measured betwixt 10 feet to 11.5 feet successful magnitude pinch a long, toothy snout for catching and eating prey.
They said nan recently discovered but extinct type was portion of nan Platanistoidea group of dolphins that existed betwixt 24 cardinal and 16 cardinal years agone and apt was an ocean-going type that entered nan Amazon region owed to its abundance of nutrient sources.
"The Peruvian Amazonia looked very different from what it is coming [when] overmuch of nan Amazonian plain was covered by a ample strategy of lakes and swamps ... stretching crossed what is coming Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil," said lead interrogator Aldo Benites-Palomino of nan University of Zurich's paleontology department.
The elephantine dolphins thrived successful nan area until astir 10 cardinal years ago, erstwhile nan modern Amazon River began to look from nan extended aquatic situation and deprived nan elephantine dolphins of their residence and nutrient sources.
The researchers said they expected to find adjacent relatives of nan existent Amazon stream dolphins but, nan Pebanista yacuruna are cousins of stream dolphins recovered successful South Asia.
Finding fossils successful nan Amazon rainforest only is imaginable during nan barren play erstwhile nan stream levels are debased capable to uncover fossil-bearing rocks that could beryllium swept distant by rising waters and mislaid forever.
