- 14 Mar 2002
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A fossil discovered around thirty years ago in Akan (present-day Kushiro, Hokkaidō) has finally been identified. According to recent reports from the Okayama University of Science, it belongs to the marine mammal Neoparadoxia, a species previously known only from finds in the United States.
The research team from the university conducted a detailed re-examination of the fossil in collaboration with the Animal Fossil Museum (Ashoro, Hokkaidō). Neoparadoxia was a hippopotamus-like creature believed to have lived approximately 16 to 14 million years ago. Researchers estimate that it reached around 2.5 metres in length and likely inhabited coastal areas. Because so few Neoparadoxia fossils have been discovered, many questions about the species remain unanswered.
Previously, a complete skeleton of the species was unearthed on the west coast of the United States. Following this, the team at Okayama University of Science examined three skulls recovered between 1996 and 2000 from layers dated 15.9 to 14.9 million years ago in Akan. They suspect that two of the skulls belonged to the slightly smaller Paleoparadoxia, while the third, distinguished by its size and other anatomical features, was identified as Neoparadoxia. The findings came as a genuine surprise to many of those involved.
Yuma Asai, who conducted research during his studies at Okayama University of Science, commented, "The collected data point to Neoparadoxia. I was both delighted and astonished by this result."
The research team from the university conducted a detailed re-examination of the fossil in collaboration with the Animal Fossil Museum (Ashoro, Hokkaidō). Neoparadoxia was a hippopotamus-like creature believed to have lived approximately 16 to 14 million years ago. Researchers estimate that it reached around 2.5 metres in length and likely inhabited coastal areas. Because so few Neoparadoxia fossils have been discovered, many questions about the species remain unanswered.
Previously, a complete skeleton of the species was unearthed on the west coast of the United States. Following this, the team at Okayama University of Science examined three skulls recovered between 1996 and 2000 from layers dated 15.9 to 14.9 million years ago in Akan. They suspect that two of the skulls belonged to the slightly smaller Paleoparadoxia, while the third, distinguished by its size and other anatomical features, was identified as Neoparadoxia. The findings came as a genuine surprise to many of those involved.
Yuma Asai, who conducted research during his studies at Okayama University of Science, commented, "The collected data point to Neoparadoxia. I was both delighted and astonished by this result."
New evidence for the co-occurrence of two genera of Paleoparadoxiidae (Mammalia, Desmostylia) from the Middle Miocene of Japan: insights into taxonomic status and paleodiversity in Desmostylia
Desmostylia, an extinct order of marine mammals, includes two major families: Paleoparadoxiidae and Desmostylidae. Within Paleoparadoxiidae, three genera—Archaeoparadoxia, Paleoparadoxia, and Neoparadoxia—have been identified, with Paleoparadoxia being the only genus found on both coasts of the...