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Japan's iconic extinct mammal
by Heritage Daily July 27, 2018
Image Credit : University of Tsukuba
After more than 60 years, the bone of an iconic extinct Japanese mammal has been rediscovered by a team of researchers led by the University of Tsukuba. With the help of an old label and local knowledge, two equally possible sites in the town of Tsuchiyu Onsen were identified.
The ‘dinosaur’ bone was discovered during construction of a debris dam and identified as the 15.9 million-year-old femur of Paleoparadoxia, a genus of marine mammals.
In the spring of 2017, Dr Yuri Kimura, from the Department of Geology and Paleontology at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, found a large bone inside an old wooden box in the geological collection room of the University of Tsukuba, Japan.
Based on the overall features, she knew the thigh bone (or femur) belonged to an extinct marine mammal, a member of the order Desmostylia, thought to be related to hippo-like rhinoceroses, or sea cows. Dr Kimura teamed up with Dr Kumiko Matsui, one of the few Desmostylia experts, and her colleagues, to reveal the scientific significance of the fossil. As revealed in the journal, Royal Society Open Science, they identified the bone as belonging to the genus Paleoparadoxia.
More:
https://www.heritagedaily.com/2018/07/japans-iconic-extinct-mammal/121198
