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Phoberomys pattersoni

Phoberomys
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Rodentia
Superfamily :Caviomorpha
Genus:Phoberomys

Phoberomys pattersoni is an extinct rodent that lived in the Orinoco River delta approximately 8 million years BP.

An almost complete skeleton of Phoberomys, discovered in Venezuela in 2000, has enabled researchers to reconstruct its size and probable lifestyle. It was 3 meters long, with an additional 1.5 meter tail, and probably weighed around 700 kilograms, making it the largest known rodent. Like other rodents, Phoberomys was a herbivore with high crowned premolars and molars.

External links

Further Reading

  • M.R. Sanchez-Villagra et al. (2003) Science vol. 301 p.1708.
  • R. McNeill Alexander. (2003) Science vol. 301 p.1678-9.

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