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2,000 pound rodent discovered mongabay.com January 16, 2008
"We report the discovery of an exceptionally well preserved fossil skull of a new species of rodent, by far the largest ever recorded," wrote Andres Rinderknecht and Ernesto Blanco of the National Museum of Natural History in Montevideo. The authors say that while most present day rodents are small creatures, their discovery reveals that ancient rodents could grow larger than a bull.
The beast, which roamed the South American continent some 2-4 million years ago and is named Josephoartigasia monesi, likely fed on fruit and plant shoots, based on its small teeth and jaw structure. The world's largest rodent alive today is the capybara found in tropical South America. The semi-aquatic species can weigh 125 pounds (60 kg).
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