An Australian university student has filled an evolutionary gap concerning a giant carnivorous platypus, now extinct for at least 5 million years, thanks to a large ancient tooth.
Before this discovery, fossil records indicated that there was only one species of platypus on Earth at any given time, with the creatures gradually becoming smaller and their teeth changing in size over the years.
“A new platypus species, even one that is highly incomplete, serves as a crucial resource for enhancing our understanding of these intriguing mammals,” stated palaeontology student Rebecca Pian.
Pian made her discovery while examining a collection of fossil deposits from the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in northern Australia, identifying the new species through a uniquely oversized tooth. Findings will be published this month in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology.
The extinct species, based on the tooth’s size, likely measured about a metre (39 inches) long, nearly three times the length of the modern platypus, which is typically 38 cm.
Identified as “Obdurodon tharalkooschild,” it was found in a deposit that remains undated but is estimated to be between 5 million and 15 million years old.
“Rebecca was the first to notice a monster lurking among the typical fossil platypuses,” said Professor Mike Archer from the University of New South Wales.
“This was a highly dangerous creature. If humans had existed during that time, caution signs would be necessary at the water’s edge reading ‘Don’t swim here: Gigantic monstrous human-eating platypus’.”
Although these furry mammals with duck-like bills present an endearing appearance, male platypuses possess spurs on their hind legs that deliver a potent venom.
Currently, the platypus exists only in eastern Australia, including Tasmania, but Obdurodon tharalkooschild roamed areas including South America, Antarctica, and northern and central Australia.
The forthcoming paper, to be published next week, is co-authored by Pian, Archer, and Associate Professor Suzanne Hand from the University of New South Wales.
