Artistic reconstruction of Pebanista yacuruna in the murky waters of the Peruvian proto-Amazonia. (Image: Jaime Bran)
Artistic reconstruction of Pebanista yacuruna in the murky waters of the Peruvian proto-Amazonia. (Image: Jaime Bran) - Measuring between 3 to 3.5 meters, 16 million years old: Paleontologists from the University of Zurich have announced the discovery of a new species of freshwater dolphin in the Peruvian Amazon region. Surprisingly, its closest living relatives can be found in the river dolphins of South Asia. River dolphins are among the rarest modern cetaceans, with most extant species critically endangered. Despite their similar appearance, however, these animals are not directly related, but represent the late survivors of different cetacean groups that once inhabited our planet. An international research team led by the University of Zurich (UZH) has now revealed the largest river dolphin ever found, measuring between 3 and 3.5 meters. The new species, named Pebanista yacuruna after a mythical aquatic people believed to inhabit the Amazon basin, was found in Peruvian Amazonia and is dated to be 16 million years old.
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