"Giant rat" weighing 66 pounds once roamed Thailand, fossilized teeth reveal
- November 5, 2026 / 7:11 AM EST / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google A giant rodent weighing around 66 pounds roamed what is now southern Thailand 33 to 35 million years ago, scientists said, after identifying a previously unknown species from two fossilized teeth.
- The ancient animal, which one geologist on the team called a "giant rat," was among the largest known from the Paleogene period, offering new clues about how early rodents evolved to enormous sizes.
- The findings, published Wednesday in the journal Scientific Reports, were based on a molar and an incisor discovered in 2004 at a coal mine
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- November 5, 2026 / 7:11 AM EST / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google A giant rodent weighing around 66 pounds roamed what is now southern Thailand 33 to 35 million years ago, scientists said, after identifying a previously unknown species from two fossilized teeth.
- The ancient animal, which one geologist on the team called a "giant rat," was among the largest known from the Paleogene period, offering new clues about how early rodents evolved to enormous sizes.
- The findings, published Wednesday in the journal Scientific Reports, were based on a molar and an incisor discovered in 2004 at a coal mine
Sources: CBS News