Bastetodon, a new 30-million-year-old species of predatory mammal unearthed in Egypt - Society

Al-Ahram Weekly

18-02-2025

Mansoura University announced on Monday that a research team from the university's Vertebrate Paleontology Centre has discovered a new species of predatory mammals that lived in Egypt 30 million years ago.
The team, led by renowned Egyptian paleontologist Dr Hesham Sallam, has also reclassified a group of predatory mammals that was first identified 120 years ago.
The study, conducted by lead researcher Shorouq Al-Ashqar, was recently published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Dr Sallam emphasized that this discovery highlights the critical role of climate change in shaping ancient ecosystems.
The fossil was unearthed during a 2020 expedition by the Sallam Lab team in the Fayoum Depression. The excavation yielded an exceptionally well-preserved, three-dimensional skull, allowing for detailed anatomical and morphological studies.
The team identified the newly discovered species as Bastetodon, named after the ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet.
Additionally, a previously recognized group of lion-sized mammals, classified initially as Pterodon, has been renamed Sekhmetops in honour of the goddess Sekhmet.
More about Bastetodon
According to lead researcher Dr Al-Ashqar, Bastetodon was a formidable predator, weighing approximately 27 kilograms — comparable to a modern hyena or leopard.
It possessed razor-sharp teeth and powerful jaw muscles, enabling it to prey on a diverse range of animals that roamed the region at the time, including early primates, ancestral hippos, elephants, and hyraxes.
Al-Ashqar emphasized the significance of this discovery in providing new evidence for the evolution of predatory mammals in Africa.
The findings challenge the long-held assumption that these creatures evolved elsewhere before migrating to the continent. Instead, the study supports the idea that Africa was the original homeland of these apex predators before they spread globally.
More about Sekhmetops
The study also reassessed the classification of Pterodon, which was previously thought to have existed in Europe and Africa.
However, new analyses confirmed that its true origin was solely in Europe. As a result, the research team assigned the name Sekhmetops to another species discovered in the ancient forests of Fayoum from the same era. The suffix '-ops' derives from the Greek word for 'face,' further linking the name to the revered Egyptian warrior goddess Sekhmet.
Dr Al-Ashqar noted that this change is not merely a renaming but a precise reclassification that reflects the accuracy of modern paleontological research in correcting historical errors.
She added that such revisions contribute to a deeper understanding of the evolutionary relationships among species that lived millions of years ago.
Morphological and statistical analyses utilizing phylogenetic techniques confirmed that Bastetodon and Sekhmetops belong to the family Hyainailourinae, a subgroup of hyaenodonts. Hyaenodonts were dominant mammalian predators in Africa following the extinction of the dinosaurs.
The study further established that this family originated in the Afro-Arabian landmass and spread through multiple migration waves to Asia, Europe, India, and North America.
Dr. Sallam stressed the immense scientific value of the Fayoum Depression in advancing the human understanding of mammalian evolution.
He described the site as a "scientific treasure trove" that offers a window into Earth's biological history across different geological epochs.
'This discovery would not have been possible without the dedication and collaboration of our research team, who meticulously analyzed the fossil samples and conducted comprehensive classification studies,' Sallam stated.
He added that the research focused on identifying new species and explored how environmental and climatic factors influenced their evolutionary pathways.
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