A team of researchers found the fossilised lower jaw of a giant creature that once roamed the Earth. Tartarocyon cazanavei lived between 12.8 and 12 million years ago in what is now France. The fossilised body part of the giant animal, also known as the bear-dog, was found in the marine deposits of Sallepisse in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques region of France.
Paleontologists believe the lower jaw bone belongs to a new species of bear-dog, or amphicyonid, according to Discover Magazine. PeerJ has published a paper about the discovery. The jawbone had an unique lower premolar, suggesting it belonged to a genus of predator species never seen before, according to palaeontologist Bastien Mennecart and other co-authors.
The team also stated that the animal weighed approximately 200 kilos. Tartaro, a powerful, one-eyed giant from Basque mythology, was named after the species by Mennecart and his crew. Tartaro’s legend is well known in Bearn, where the lower jaw was found. During the early Miocene period, many different types of amphicyonid species existed in Europe, but they became extinct around 7.5 million years ago.
Amphicyonids have been shown to have typical mesocarnivorous, omnivorous, bone-crushing, and hypercarnivorous diets in previous studies. Edouard Lartet named the amphicyon genus in 1836. It originally meant ‘ambiguous dog,’ but the term was changed to ‘bear-dog’ in later years. This species’ fossils have been found in Nebraska, North America, France, Spain and Europe.
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