Phoberomys pattersoni

Phoberomys pattersoni is an extinct rodent that lived in the Orinoco River delta approximately 8 million years BP.

An almost complete skeleton of Phoberomys, discovered in Venezuela in 2000, has enabled researchers to reconstruct its size and probable lifestyle. It was 3 m long, with an additional 1.5 m tail, and probably weighed around 700 kilograms, making it the largest known rodent. Like other rodents, Phoberomys was a herbivore with high-crowned premolars and molars.

External links

• New Scientist story about the find

Further Reading

• M.R. Sanchez-Villagra et al. (2003) Science vol. 301 p.1708.
• R. McNeill Alexander. (2003) Science vol. 301 p.1678-9.