By AFPMore by this AuthorA giant lion with enormous fangs that roamed the Kenyan savannah more than 20 million years ago was one of the largest ever meat-eating mammals, researchers said Thursday. A team unearthed the lower jaw, teeth and other bones of a new species, Simbakubwa kutokaafrika, Swahili for 'big African lion'. "Based on its massive teeth, Simbakubwa was a specialised hyper-carnivore that was significantly larger than the modern lion and possibly larger than a polar bear," said Matthew Borths, from Duke University, who co-led the research with Ohio University. An artist's impression of the creature shows a giant big-cat-like hunter with stripey fur and enormous fangs. The team behind the study, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, said Simbakubwa lived in what is modern-day Kenya around 23 million years ago, a key period in the evolution of carnivorous mammals.

Source: Daily Nation April 18, 2019 06:11 UTC