Giant Prehistoric River Dolphin Discovered in Amazon

The fossil of Pebanista yacuruna, a species that lived 16 million years ago, reveals a surprising evolutionary link to South Asian river dolphins.

A team of international paleontologists discovered Pebanista yacuruna, a giant river dolphin species that lived 16 million years ago in what is now the Amazon basin.
Pebanista yacuruna, measuring up to 3.5 meters, is not closely related to today's Amazon river dolphins but to the South Asian river dolphins of the genus Platanista.
The discovery highlights the ancient biodiversity of the Amazon and suggests a different evolutionary path for river dolphins than previously thought.
Pebanista's existence and eventual extinction provide insights into the adaptability and vulnerability of species in changing prehistoric environments.
This finding sheds light on the ancient ecosystems of the Amazon, indicating that the current food web structure may be more similar to the Miocene era than previously believed.