The mouse weighs nearly 700kg

8 million years ago, in the South American region, there was a hamster breed with a large body like buffaloes and cows and was named Phoberomys pattersoni by scientists. They are 1,400 times bigger than hamsters today and weigh up to 700 kg .!

According to Marcelo Sanchez - Villagra, research editor, the hamster Phoberomys pattersoni used to live amphibian - the underwater half, the upper half, gnawing on the main food of seagrass.

Their bodies are covered in fine hair, with a smooth head, small eyes and ears, and a large tail to help it stand on the ground, watching for larger predators than long crocodiles more than 10 meters, large bag cats like lions and giant bird of prey called phorracoid.

Professor Orangel Anguilera, a member of the survey team, contributed to the discovery of the fossil skeleton of the hamster Phoberomys pattersoni, after one of his students stumbled across a bone protruding from sedimentary rock soil at Vezenuela's Goya region a few years ago.

Therefore, the hamster Phoberomys pattersoni is also given another nickname, Goya . In the past, people only identified Phoberomys thanks to a few pieces of bone and teeth alone while excavating archaeological sites, so scientists could not imagine their actual size. much.

Guinea Pig Phoberomys pattersoni used to live in style
amphibian - half underwater (Photo: sciencenews)

But now, by analyzing Goya's skeleton, the survey team can calculate their size and mode of life. While the South American guinea pig's feet can help them stand upright like sheep, the guinea pig like Goya can even stand taller, with a large tail as a fulcrum against the hind legs on the ground, looking tall. like a typical basketball player.

Because of its 1,400 times larger size than hamsters today and up to 700 kg, Goya has had difficulty finding a large amount of food to absorb. However, this large size also helps ferment effectively a large amount of plant cellulose in the gut, which is also quite large in size.

According to scientists, the reason why this giant guinea pig breed no longer exists is that they are too slow and less likely to evade larger predators. Meanwhile, ungulate animals as agile as deer can still overcome the dangers and survival to this day.

Thuy Han