Phoberomys pattersoni was a rodent that lived in the ancient Orinoco River delta approximately 8 million years BC.

An almost complete skeleton of Phoberomys, discovered in Urumaco, 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 many other rodents, Phoberomys was a herbivore with high-crowned premolars and molars.

External links

• New Scientist story about the find
• AAAS announcement
• National Geographic images

Further reading

• McNeill Alexander, R. (2003): A Rodent as Big as a Buffalo. Science vol. 301, p.1678-9. (HTML abstract link)
• Sanchez-Villagra, M.R. et al. (2003): The Anatomy of the World's Largest Extinct Rodent. Science vol. 301, p.1708-10. (HTML abstract link)

Hystricognath rodents | Prehistoric rodents

Фоберомис | Phoberomys pattersoni | Phoberomys pattersoni | Phoberomys pattersoni