NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A giant predator, probably bigger than a polar bear, was wandering around Kenya 23 million years ago, according to a new study.
It is called "Simbakubwa kutokaafrika", which in Arabic means "a huge lion of Africa", identified by teeth and bone fragments discovered in western Kenya for decades.
Researchers at the University of Ohio, who announced the discovery in the Journal of Entomology, say that the beast weighed about 1,500 kilograms and was one of the largest carnivorous mammals ever to inhabit the land.
"Based on his huge teeth, Simpakopoa was a giant meat-eater, much larger in size than the modern lion, and probably bigger than the polar bear," said Matthew Burthes, one of the lead researchers involved in the research.
It is likely that this organism has been fed to the elephant-like and hippocampal species that were dominant in the region during this period.