The ‘Thylacosmilus atrox’ lived 3 million years ago
A group of researchers from scientific institutions in Argentina and the United States revealed that the saber-toothed marsupial, a carnivorous mammal that lived in South America 3 million years ago, might effectively hunt its prey, despite having his eyes as far apart as those of a horse or other herbivore, reported this Tuesday the American Museum of Natural History.
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According to the study authors, published in the journal Communications Biology, carnivore skulls commonly have forward-facing eye sockets, allowing them to have stereoscopic vision (the ability to integrate two images into a single three-dimensional image). This adaptation is useful to know the position of the prey before hunting it.
However, the displacement of the eye sockets of the extinct marsupial, scientifically known as ‘Thylacosmilus atrox’, is the result of its skull being modified to accommodate its long saber-shaped canine teeth.
The scientist from the Argentine Institute of Nivology, Glaciology and Environmental Sciences (INAGLIA), Charlene Gaillard, commented that the animal’s teeth “were not only large, but constantly growing, to such an extent that the roots of the canines continued over the tops of their skulls.”
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With no space available for the eye sockets in the usual carnivore position in the front of their face, there was no chance that the brain of the saber-toothed marsupial would integrate 3D images, since the visual fields captured by its eyes mightn’t overlap enough. This situation made specialists question how a carnivore like ‘Thylacosmilus atrox’ maintained a diet, which is believed to have consisted of 70% meat, if it might not see in 3D.
Discovering the truth of his vision
After examining the orbital regions of several fossil and modern mammals, using CT scans and 3D virtual reconstructions, it was determined that he might compensate for the unusual position of his eyes by turning their orbits outward and oriented nearly vertically to achieve a 70-degree visual overlap. similar to that of a cat (65 degrees).
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According to Analia Forasiepi, a researcher at INAGLIA, this condition allowed the saber-toothed marsupial to become “a successful active predator.” Ultimately, scientists wonder if the animal’s huge teeth had any benefit in its development.
However, Forasiepi clarified that Thylacosmilus atrox “was not a freak of nature, but in its time and place it managed, apparently quite admirably, to survive as an ambush predator.” “We can see it as an anomaly because it doesn’t fit into our preconceived categories of what a carnivorous mammal should be like, but evolution makes its own rules,” he concluded.
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