Once upon a time, some 30 million years ago, what is now Egypt’s Western Desert was a lush forest. Humans had not evolved yet, the nearest relatives being monkey-like creatures. And through those forests stalked Bastetodon syrtos, a newly described apex predator from an extinct lineage known as the Hyaenodonts—one of the top carnivores of the age.
Researchers recently discovered a nearly complete skull of the creature. They reported on the find in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Host Flora Lichtman talks with Shorouq Al-Ashqar of the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center about the discovery, and the picture it helps paint of ancient life.
Further Reading
- Read more coverage of the newly discovered skull via CNN.
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Segment Guests
Shorouq Al-Ashqar
Dr. Shorouq Al-Ashqar is a researcher at the Mansoura University Vertebrate Paleontology Center in Mansoura, Egypt.
Segment Transcript
The transcript of this segment is being processed. It will be available early next week.
Meet the Producer
About Flora Lichtman
Flora Lichtman is a host of Science Friday. In a previous life, she lived on a research ship where apertivi were served on the top deck, hoisted there via pulley by the ship’s chef.