Enhydriodon

Enhydriodon was a genus of otters that lived in what is now Ethiopia during the Miocene and Pliocene epoch. The otter is thought to be a relative of modern-day otters. Enhydriodon was described as a considerably large otter, though only its skull has been found. Estimates put it at about 200 kilograms (440 lb), making it the largest mustelid described so far.[1]

Enhydriodon
Temporal range: Miocene–Pliocene, 5–4 Ma
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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Tribe: †Enhydriodontini
Genus: †Enhydriodon
Falconer, 1868
Type species
Enhydriodon sivalensis
Falconer, 1868
Other species
  • E. africanus Stromer, 1931
  • E. dikikae Geraads et al., 2011
  • E. ekecaman Werdelin, 2003
  • E. falconeri Pilgrim, 1931
  • E. hendeyi Morales et al., 2005

References
  1. "Enhydriodon dikikae, sp. nov. (Carnivora: Mammalia), a gigantic otter from the Pliocene of Dikika, Lower Awash, Ethiopia". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 31: 447–453. doi:10.1080/02724634.2011.550356.


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