A long, long time ago, a strange animal prowled what would become the Balearic Islands. Neither completely reptile nor completely mammal, this saber-toothed predator called “gorgonopsian” dominated its ecosystem. A newly discovered fossil in Mallorca offers a better insight than ever into this 270 million-year-old hybrid creature.
The story of this fossil, highlighted by Discover Magazine, reveals a unique specimen of its kind. Exhumed on the Spanish island, it is the oldest gorgonopsian ever found. This discovery revolutionizes our understanding of these predators, until now located in areas such as Russia or South Africa.
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Although it laid eggs like reptiles, it was warm-blooded, a typical feature of mammals, while the shape and position of its legs was halfway between those of mammals and reptiles. At 90 centimeters long, it looked like a dog without ears or fur, but its saber teeth made it a formidable hunter. Scientists believe mammals emerged from its lineage around 200 million years ago.
Already very unusual with its funny appearance, this gorgonopsian fossil is even more unusual for several reasons. Indeed, no other members of this species have so far been found in the relatively low latitudes of what is now Europe. Moreover, “it is probably the oldest gorgonopsian on the planet”says Josep Fortuny, a researcher at the Catalan Institute of Paleontology (ICP) in Barcelona.
At the time when this predator lived, Mallorca was not an island but an integral part of the supercontinent Pangea, located near the equator. The climate there was equatorial, alternating between very dry and very humid seasons. The region was home to floodplains dotted with temporary ponds where various animals came to drink, some risking their lives in the face of gorgonopsians.
Small but formidable
Although the Mallorcan gorgonopsian was relatively small, its speed and saber teeth made it a top predator. “We know that it is a carnivorous animal, a characteristic shared by all gorgonopsians around the worldexplains Àngel Galobart, researcher at the ICP. Sabretooth is a common feature among large predators in ecosystems, and what we found was likely one in the environment it lived in.”
This fossil not only disrupts the known geographic location of this species, but it also provides crucial information on their diversity and evolution. One thing is certain: at the time, Mallorca was far from being an ideal holiday destination.
