Apex predator, 30-million-years-old, unearthed in Egypt
A nearly complete skull found in the desert in Egypt belonged to an apex predator that stalked the earth 30 million years ago. The find was a “dream” for the scientists who found the carnivore which belonged to the now-extinct Hyaenodonta family. The family’s name means “hyena tooth.”
With sharp teeth and powerful jaw muscles, ‘Bastetodon’ was a “fearsome” mammal, around the size of a leopard, and likely with a powerful bite. At a time when our monkey-like ancestors were evolving, this would be the apex predator at the top of the food chain.
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. They detail how Bastetodon may have preyed on other animals including primates, and ancestors of modern hippos and elephants in what was then a lush forest in Fayum in Egypt.
For days, the team meticulously excavated layers of rock dating back around 30 million years,” palaeontologist and lead author Shorouq Al-Ashqar, from Mansoura University and the American University in Cairo. “Just as we were about to conclude our work, a team member spotted something remarkable — a set of large teeth sticking out of the ground. His excited shout brought the team together, marking the beginning of an extraordinary discovery: a nearly complete skull of an ancient apex carnivore, a dream for any vertebrate paleontologist.”
Bastetodon was part of an extinct group of carnivorous mammals known as hyaenodonts. These were around long before modern carnivores such as cats, dogs, and hyenas evolved. They were apex predators with hyena-like teeth in Africa following the extinction of the dinosaurs.
“The discovery of Bastetodon is a significant achievement in understanding the diversity and evolution of hyaenodonts and their global distribution,” says Shorouq. “We are eager to continue our research to unravel the intricate relationships between these ancient predators and their environments over time and across continents.”
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