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"Giant rat" weighing 66 pounds once roamed Thailand, fossilized teeth reveal
CBS News • • world
Key Points:
- Scientists identified a previously unknown giant rodent species, Yakamys sirindhornae, from two fossilized teeth found in southern Thailand, dating back 33 to 35 million years.
- The rodent weighed around 66 pounds (30 kilograms), making it one of the largest known from the Paleogene period and part of the now-extinct Ischyromyidae family.
- The discovery provides new insights into early rodent evolution and suggests that ancient rodents may have originated in the region before spreading globally.
- The fossils were initially misidentified due to their large size and were only properly analyzed over two decades later with advanced technology.
- While significant, this species is smaller compared to other giant prehistoric rodents, such as a human-sized rat from the Amazon and a 1-ton rodent from South America.
