Switzerland – Scientists at the Swiss University of Zurich have discovered a new species of giant extinct river dolphin in the Peruvian Amazon region.
Science Advances magazine indicates that river dolphins are the rarest living whales, and most existing species are threatened with extinction.
During their expedition, the research team discovered the fossilized remains of the largest river dolphin ever found. Its length reached 3.5 meters. Scientists named the new species Pebanista yacuruna in honor of the legendary aquatic inhabitants who inhabited the shores of the Amazon. Determining its age using radiocarbon dating showed that these dolphins lived in the Amazon 16 million years ago.
Team leader Aldo Benitez Palomino says: “Sixteen million years ago, the Peruvian Amazon looked completely different than it does today. It was a system of lakes and swamps spread over a large part of the Amazon plain called Pibas. This landscape includes aquatic, wetland and terrestrial ecosystems, extending across what is now Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Brazil.”
But about 10 million years ago, the Pebas system began to decline in the face of the present-day Amazon region, which led to the beginning of the extinction of the giant dolphins, and then the system itself.
Paleontologists indicate that freshwater dolphins had advanced echolocation devices, which helped them determine direction in turbid waters.
Source: gazeta.ru
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2024-03-27 17:59:34