Palaeontology

Huge prehistoric guinea pig was 1.5m tall

By T.K. Randall
February 4, 2015 ·  14 comments

Today's guinea pigs are only a fraction of the size of their prehistoric cousins. Image Credit: PD - Selbst While today's guinea pigs make popular pets, two to four million years ago the cousin of these cuddly little rodents, a species known as Josephoartigasia monesi, grew to the size of a bull and had a bite force similar to that of a tiger.

Its huge 30cm long incisors were powerful enough to bite through even the toughest vegetation and recently scientists discovered that they were likely to have had other applications as well.The research, which involved conducting CT scans of a Josephoartigasia skull and producing a computer model, provided a unique glimpse in to what this remarkable species was capable of.

"We concluded that Josephoartigasia must have used its incisors for activities other than biting, such as digging in the ground for food, or defending itself from predators," said Dr Philip Cox.

"This is very similar to how a modern-day elephant uses its tusks."

Source: BBC News | Comments (14)

Tags: Rodent, Guinea Pig