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The researchers named the species after Bastet, a cat-headed goddess symbolic of power and protection.
The species was roughly the size of a leopard. (Representative Image)
The nearly complete skull of an ancient predator has been discovered in Egypt’s Fayum Desert. This newly found carnivorous mammal, Bastetodon, is believed to have dominated the ecosystem in the pre-historic era. The creature belonged to the now-extinct group Hyaenodonta, which were known as formidable hunters and existed millions of years before modern predators like lions, wolves and hyenas appeared. The discovery in Egypt uncovers fascinating details about Africa’s ancient food chain.
According to a journal published by Taylor & Francis, Bastetodon was roughly the size of a leopard. Just like the other species of carnivorous, the creature had razor-sharp teeth and a powerful jaw, which it used to prey on early primates and ancient species of hippopotamus, elephants and hyraxes.
The fossil of the skull was discovered by researchers from Mansoura University and The American University in Cairo, led by palaeontologist Shorouq Al-Ashqar. “For days, the team meticulously excavated rock layers 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,” Al-Ashqar said.
“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 palaeontologist,” he added.
The name “Bastetodon” is connected with ancient Egyptian mythology. The researchers named the species after Bastet, a cat-headed goddess symbolic of power and protection. On the other hand, the suffix “odon” means tooth, which highlights the predator’s one of the iconic features– sharp bite.
While studying the skull of Bastetodon, the research team, Sallam Lab, reanalysed some other fossils discovered in Fayum more than a century ago. They found another hyaenodont species and named it after Sekhmet, a lion-headed Egyptian goddess associated with war and destruction.
These discoveries provide strong evidence that hyaenodonts first emerged in Africa. In some previous hypotheses, they were linked to European species. Hyaenodonts had thrived for millions of years across many regions in Africa, Europe, Asia, India and North America. Some of those species evolved into carnivorous mammals, while others eventually extinct.
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