30-million-year-old carnivorous predator once ruled ancient Africa

By Stephen Beech

A leopard-sized “fearsome” predator that hunted early elephants 30 million years ago has been identified following the discovery of a near-complete skull.

The find in the Egyptian desert has led scientists to the “dream” revelation of a new species that was an apex predator, named Hyaenodonta.

Bearing sharp teeth and powerful jaw muscles, suggesting a strong bite, scientists say the newly-identified ‘Bastetodon’ would have been at the top of all carnivores and the food chain when our own monkey-like ancestors were evolving.

The findings, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, detail how the ferocious creature would have probably preyed on primates, early hippos, early elephants, and hyraxes in the lush forest of Fayum, Egypt, which is now home to a desert.

Lead author Shorouq Al-Ashqar, of Mansoura University and the American University in Cairo, said: “For days, the team meticulously excavated layers of rock dating back around 30 million years.

“Just as we were about to conclude our work, a team member spotted something remarkable - a set of large teeth sticking out of the ground.

"His excited shout brought the team together, marking the beginning of an extraordinary discovery: a nearly complete skull of an ancient apex carnivore, a dream for any vertebrate paleontologist.”

The researchers say Bastetodon belongs to a species in an extinct group of carnivorous mammals called hyaenodonts.

Hyaenodonts evolved long before modern-day carnivores such as cats, dogs, and hyenas.

These predators with hyena-like teeth hunted in African ecosystems after the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The team – who go under the title ‘Sallam Lab’ – named the specimen after the cat-headed ancient Egyptian goddess Bastet, who symbolized protection, pleasure, and good health.

The name also acknowledges the region where the specimen was found, famous for its fossils and Ancient Egyptian artifacts.

The name is also a nod to the short, cat-like snout and teeth of this fearsome, leopard-sized carnivore as “-odon” means “tooth."

Its skull was unearthed during Sallam Lab’s expedition to the Fayum Depression, an area where digs reveal an important time window into about 15 million years of the evolutionary history of mammals in Africa.

The team say the timespan not only captures the transition from the Eocene’s global warming to the Oligocene’s global cooling, but also reveals how these climate shifts played a "crucial" role in shaping ecosystems that we still see today.

Their discovery of Bastetodon has also allowed the research team to reevaluate a group of lion-sized hyaenodonts that was discovered in the rocks of the Fayum more than 120 years ago.

The team constructed the genus Sekhmetops to describe the century-old material and to honor Sekhmet, the lion-headed goddess of wrath and war in ancient Egyptian mythology.

In 1904, Sekhmetops was placed within a European group of hyaenodonts.

The team showed Bastetodon and Sekhmetops both belonged to a group of hyaenodonts that actually originated in Africa.

In ancient Egypt, Bastet was often associated with Sekhmet, making the two genera scientifically and symbolically connected.

The study shows the relatives of Bastetodon and Sekhmetops spread from Africa in multiple waves, eventually making it to Asia, Europe, India, and North America.

By 18 million years ago, the researchers say some relatives of these hyaenodonts were among the largest mammalian meat-eaters to ever walk the planet.

But "cataclysmic" changes in global climate and tectonic changes in Africa opened the continent to the relatives of modern cats, dogs, and hyenas.

Doctoral student Ms Al-Ashqar said: “The discovery of Bastetodon is a significant achievement in understanding the diversity and evolution of hyaenodonts and their global distribution."

She added: “We are eager to continue our research to unravel the intricate relationships between these ancient predators and their environments over time and across continents.”

Co-author Dr. Matt Borths, of the Duke Lemur Center Museum of Natural History at Duke University in the US, said: “The Fayum is one of the most important fossil areas in Africa.

"Without it, we would know very little about the origins of African ecosystems and the evolution of African mammals like elephants, primates, and hyaenodonts."

Dr. Borths added: "Paleontologists have been working in the Fayum for over a century, but the Sallam Lab demonstrated there is more to discover in this remarkable region.”