Extinct Mammal Fossil Excavated in Japan, Reidentified
Species Previously Only Found in North America
A fossil discovered three decades ago in Hokkaido has been reidentified by a team of Japanese researchers as belonging to Neoparadoxia, an extinct species of mammal previously found only in the United States. A team of researchers from Okayama University of Science and the Ashoro Museum of Paleontology made the finding while reexamining fossils kept at the museum. Neoparadoxia, a mammal that may have looked like a hippopotamus, is believed to have lived about 14 to 16 million years ago. Measuring about 2.5 meters long, it is believed to have inhabited coastal areas. However, much of its ecology remains unknown due to the limited number of fossils. Following the discovery of a complete skeleton on the U.S. west coast, Neoparadoxia was announced to be a new species in 2013...
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Extinct Mammal Fossil Excavated in Akan, Hokkaido, Reidentified; Species Previously Only Found in North America - The Japan News
illustration by Tatsuya Shinmura Ashoro Museum of Paleontology
