DISCOVERwildlife
The skull of a newly discovered apex predator was unearthed at a remote dig site near the River Nile.
Palaeontologists have uncovered a rare, near-complete skull of a 30-million-year-old apex
predator in the Egyptian desert.
With sharp teeth and powerful jaw muscles, the newly identified Bastetodon is thought to have been leopard-sized and at the top of its food chain at the same time our monkey-like ancestors were evolving.
The findings, which were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, say that the creature would have likely preyed on primates, early elephants and hippos, and hyraxes in the forests of Fayum, Egypt – now a desert.
Palaeontologist and lead author Shorouq Al-Ashqar, from Mansoura University and the American University in Cairo, says "For days, the team meticulously excavated layers of rock dating back around 30 million years.
“Just as we were about to conclude our work, a team member spotted something remarkable – a set of large teeth sticking out of the ground. His excited shout brought the team together, marking the beginning of an extraordinary discovery: a nearly complete skull of an ancient apex carnivore, a dream for any vertebrate palaeontologist.”