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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Fossil Mammal Resembling Dog-Hare Hybrid Found in Bolivia


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Distinct back molars bearing three lobes instead of two spurred researchers to more closely examine a fossil jawbone (top) that had been stored in a Bolivian museum. The remains, the scientists discovered, are from a new species of notoungulate, or southern hoofed mammal.

A sketch of a similar notoungulate's reconstructed skeleton (bottom) shows the approximate size of the new creature, which resembles a cross between a dog and a hare.

Images courtesy Darin A. Croft