A giant otter that roamed southwestern China six million years ago had a surprisingly strong bite and could have been a top predator, say scientists.
Studies of the animal's fossilised skull reveal that it had the chewing ability of a bear.
Unlike its living relatives, which feed on fish and shellfish, the otter may have eaten a wide range of prey.
It was capable of crushing big mollusc shells or the bones of birds and rodents, according to a new study.
The research, published in the journal, Scientific Reports, provides insight into the life of this oversized otter.
Known as Siamogale melilutra, it weighed more than 50kg and was the size of a wolf.
Not only was it larger than living otters, but its jaws were more powerful.
"We conducted a series of engineering simulations on the jaw models of fossil otters as well as ten living otter species and what we found was that the fossil otter had a jaw that was six times as strong as expected, based on what we see in living =read more
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