Protolophiomys ibericus
rodent
Quick Summary
Protolophiomys ibericus was a rodent that lived approximately 6 to 7 million years ago during the Pliocene Epoch. Fossil fragments found in southern Spain indicate it is a possible ancestor of the modern maned rat (Lophiomys imhausi). A distinctive feature of Protolophiomys ibericus, and other members of its subfamily Lophiomyinae, is a unique granulated, bony cap covering the top of the skull. The maned rat, the only living representative of this subfamily, is a long-haired rodent found in East Africa.1
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