Sheet The Guardian March 21 reported that scientists have just discovered the fossil skull of a giant dolphin that lived in the Amazon River 3 million years ago, believed to be a species that once left the ocean to live in the Amazon. Rivers in Peru.
The newly discovered dolphin species, scientifically named Pebanista yacuruna, can be up to 3,5 m long and is the largest freshwater dolphin ever known.
Excessive size is also noted in contemporaries in this area, including fish and crocodiles.
Pebanista yacuruna belongs to the family Platanistoidea, a group of ancient dolphins that lived 24-16 million years ago.
Scientists initially thought they had found the ancestor of the ancient Amazon river dolphin, but were surprised when analyzes showed that the South Asian river dolphin was its closest relative.
Fossils of Pebanista yacuruna are currently on display at the National Museum of Natural History of Peru. Photo: AFP
The sea monster has all the characteristic features of Platanistoidea, including a face and a specialized bone structure associated with echolocation. Meanwhile, its elongated snout shows that it is a fish-eater.
Its fossils have contributed to telling the history of the ancient Amazon region.
“Sixteen million years ago, the Peruvian Amazon was very different from today, with much of the current delta covered by a vast system of lakes and lagoons called the Pebas,” said Dr. Aldo Benites-Palomino, paleontologist Biology from the University of Zurich (Switzerland) said.
This ancient landscape included aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, spanning the present-day countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil.
However, about 10 million years ago, the environment changed, and the Pebas system gave way to the modern Amazon region, where the prey of these giant creatures no longer existed, so they also became extinct.
The new discovery reflects the threat to existing freshwater dolphin species, all of which face extinction in the next 20-40 years, according to scientist Aldo Benites-Palomino, who led the research team in the article. published in specialized journals Science Advances.
Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Marcelo R Sánchez-Villagra, director of the department of paleontology at the University of Zurich, said that a common problem facing river dolphins is the imminent risk of extinction, including for The fossil's closest relatives are the Ganges and Indus river dolphins. Urban development, pollution and mining are the main causes and also the reasons that pushed the Yangtze River dolphin to the brink of extinction, according to Mr. Sánchez-Villagra.
Minh Hoa (t/h according to Nguoi Lao Dong, Thanh Nien)
