Scientists find river dolphin Pebanista yacuruna

A team of scientists from the University of Zurich shocked the scientific world by discovering the fossil of a 16-million-year-old river dolphin in the Peruvian Amazon, according to the renowned scientific journal, Science Advances.

This extraordinary discovery from prehistory sheds new light on the evolution of freshwater marine mammals and their long history on our planet.

The dolphin whose fossil was discovered reached a length of 3 to 3.5 meters, making it one of the largest known river dolphins. This species, called Pebanista yacuruna, lived about 16 million years ago, at a time when the Amazon was completely different than it is today.

River dolphins are one of the rarest cetacean species in the world, and their populations are at critical risk of extinction. Interestingly, the closest relatives of the discovered dolphin that are still alive are river dolphins from South Asia. Despite this, they are not directly related to the prehistoric Amazon dolphins. This proves how diverse the group of cetaceans that inhabited the entire planet once was.

Pebanista yacuruna belonged to the Platanistoidea group, which was widespread in the oceans between 24 and 16 million years ago. Scientists believe that this species had oceanic ancestors but adapted to live in a freshwater environment.

The Amazon is a particular challenge for paleontological research. Access to the fossils is only possible during the dry season, when river levels drop and rocks are exposed in which specimens can be found. If they are not extracted before the rainy season arrives, the water will wash them away and they will be lost forever.

This discovery is therefore not only a scientific breakthrough, but also a race against time that highlights the value and importance of protecting natural heritage.

This article was originally published on Onet Travel.