Ancient 1500lb Monster Rodent Discovered

[FaDe]

Jesus Christ. . .

http://news.com.au/common/story_page...5E1702,00.html

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A massive rodent the size of a buffalo that roamed Venezuela eight million years ago was an ancestor to the modern-day domestic guinea pig, according to research due to be published in the journal Science tonight.

In examining the giant rodent's fossil and plant evidence, three researchers have identified it as a sibling to the pakarana Dinomys, which was a close relative of the guinea pig.

The rodent, Phoberomys Pattersoni, is the largest discovered rodent to have walked the earth. It weighed a hefty 700 kilograms and grew more than 10 times the size of today's biggest rodent, the Capybara, the largest of which weighs 23 kilograms.

"Imagine a weird guinea pig, but huge, with a long tail for balancing on its hind legs and continuously growing teeth," explained researcher Marcelo Sanchez-Villagra.

"It was semi-acquatic, like the Capybara, and probably foraged along a riverbank," he added.

The research team discovered the fossil of the giant rodent in 2000 in a now arid region of Venezuela some 400 kilometres west of Caracas, in the town of Urumaco.

The research team was led by Sanchez-Villagra of Germany's Tubingen University, Orangel Aguilera of Venezuela's Universidad Nacional Experimental Francisco de Miranda, and Ines Horovitz of the University of California.

Copyright 2003 News Limited.

[jojo]

Imagine what it would be like to hunt that sucker. It had to have been edible. Modern rodents are. Feed a tribe.

[loudin1]

that kinda puts todays rodent problems to shame..

[The Miscreant]

Sorry FaDe - Ein doublepost

[frankiep]

That's nothing. Sounds like a NYC subway rat to me.

[RightWingZealot]

We're gonna need bigger traps