MUSEUM CAMPUS — One day after Sue the T-Rex celebrated its birthday, the Field Museum said it has discovered a new prehistoric mammal in Africa.
Ichibengops (Itchy-BEN-gops), or simply "Scarface," is about the size of a dachsund and lived around 255 million years ago, the Field said. The ancient mammal got its name from a peculiar groove on its upper jaw, which the Field's scientists believe could have been used to sink venom in its prey.
"Discoveries of new species of animals like Ichibengops are particularly exciting because they help us to better understand the group of animals that gave rise to mammals," Kenneth Angielczyk, the Field's associate curator of paleomammology, said in a statement Thursday.
The skull of "Scarface." [Field Museum]
The Field said the so-called premammal, found in Zambia, was part of suborder Therocephalia, a group of ancient mammal relatives that survived the largest mass extinction event in history. Today, very few mammals, including platypuses, produce venom.
"By studying the effects of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction and subsequent recovery, we can apply the lessons we learn to the mass extinction being caused by humans today," Angielczyk said.
An artist's rendering of what "Scarface" may have looked like during its prehistoric era was not available Thursday, the Field said.
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