Saber-toothed vegetarian once prowled South America

[Judi Lynn]

March 24, 2011
Saber-toothed vegetarian once prowled South America
Leaf-crunching animal, about the size of a large dog, lived 260 million years ago in what is now Brazil

(AP) WASHINGTON - Surprised scientists have discovered theremains of a saber-toothed vegetarian.

The leaf-crunching animal, about the size of a large dog, lived260 million years ago in what is now Brazil, researchers report inFriday's edition of the journal Science. Its upper canine teethwere nearly 5 inches long.

Such large teeth are more often the mark of a meat-eatinganimal, used to capture and kill prey.

The enormous canines probably were used by the plant-eatinganimals to fight each other or protect against predators, saidresearch leader Juan Carlos Cisneros of the University of Piaui innortheastern Brazil.

More:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/24/scitech/main20047055.shtml

http://images.nationalgeographic.com.nyud.net:8090/wpf/media-live/photos/000/336/cache/saber-toothed-plant-eating-mammal-this-was-made-by-the-scientist_33642_600x450.jpg

Shown in a paleontologist's illustration, Tiarajudens eccentricus bears its unexpected saber teeth.
Illustration courtesy Juan Cisneros, Science/AAAS

Brian Handwerk
for National Geographic News
Published March 24, 2011

Thriving long before the dinosaur age, Tiarajudens eccentricus was armed with an incredible arsenal of teeth for grinding, tearing, and even scaring. But the newly discovered saber-toothed mammal ancestor was a vegetarian, a new study says.

Not only did the big-dog-size animal have huge canines—each as large as a crayon—but the roof of the animal's mouth appears to have been studded with teeth, which allowed for rapid replacement of lost teeth, as in sharks, researchers say.

Part of the Anomodontia suborder within the Therapsida order—often called mammal-like reptiles—the 260-million-year-old fossil vegetarian "looks like a combination of different animals, and it takes some time to believe it when you see this animal in front of you," said paleontologist Juan Carlos Cisneros, who discovered the fossil in Brazil.

"It has the incisors of a horse, which are very good for cutting and pulling plants; the big molars of a capybara (picture), for grinding; and the canines of a saber-toothed cat."

More:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/03/110324-saber-toothed-sabertooth-vegetarian-science-evolution-tiarajudens/

[xchrom]

1. Wow. Nt

[RZM]

2. Interesting stuff

Study of prehistoric megafauna is a hobby of mine. Though if you're talking strange South American animals, I'd have to go with this one (which lived much later):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyptodon

[bluedigger]

3. While he has a certain style,

and I like a nice pastel work on occasion, Sr. Cisneros should really think about bringing in a professional illustrator/modeler... :rofl: