''Smutsia olteniensis'' ("pangolin from Olt") is an
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
species of
pangolin
Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smutsia''. ''Manis'' comprises four species found in Asia, while ' ...
s from genus ''
Smutsia
African ground pangolin (''Smutsia'' - " Smuts's animal") is a genus of pangolins from subfamily Smutsiinae within family Manidae. It was formerly considered a subgenus of genus ''Manis''. Its members are the more terrestrial of the African pang ...
Manidae
Manidae (" spirits") is the only extant family of pangolins. This family comprises three genera ('' Manis'' from subfamily Maninae, '' Phataginus'' from subfamily Phatagininae, and '' Smutsia'' from subfamily Smutsiinae), as well as the extinct ...
. Fossilized remains of the species were found in
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, providing evidence regarding the existence of pangolins in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
during the
Plio-Pleistocene
The Plio-Pleistocene is an informally described geological pseudo-period, which begins about 5 million years ago (Mya) and, drawing forward, combines the time ranges of the formally defined Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs—marking from about 5&n ...
period.
Description
The appearance of ''Smutsia olteniensis'' is assumed to be closely similar to that of its two extant relatives, ''
Smutsia gigantea
The giant pangolin (''Smutsia gigantea'') is a species of pangolin from genus ''Smutsia'' of subfamily Smutsiinae within the family Manidae. It is the largest living species of pangolins. Members of the species inhabit Africa with a range stretc ...
'' and ''
Smutsia temminckii
The ground pangolin (''Smutsia temminckii''), also known as Temminck's pangolin, Cape pangolin or steppe pangolin is a species of pangolin from genus ''Smutsia'' of subfamily Smutsiinae the within family Manidae. It is one of four species of p ...
'', the giant pangolin and ground pangolin, respectively.
Analysis of a right humerus of ''Smutsia olteniensis'', as well as comparison with extant ''Smutsia'' pangolins and a
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Oltet River valley of
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. This region was explored extensively in the 1960s, with multiple fossil localities named in the vicinity of the village of Tetoui. Previous reports and publications regarding the site communicated a difficult to identify species, likely of the genus ''
Manis
''Manis'' (" spirit") is a genus of South Asian and East Asian pangolins, the Asiatic pangolins, from subfamily Maninae, within family Manidae.
Taxonomy
* Subfamily: Maninae (Asiatic pangolins)
** Genus: ''Manis'' (Asiatic pangolins)
*** '' Ma ...
''; however, they did not choose to go into detail on the fossil. Thus, recent reanalysis has expanded information on fauna from the Graunceanu region, as well as other fossil localities existing in the surrounding area. A right humerus was accessioned, catalogued, and photographed in a reinventory process, with prior records and inventories from the original excavation having been lost.
It became clear during the process that the humerus derived from a pangolin, specifically a member of the ground pangolin genus ''Smutsia''. Although very similar to the giant pangolin (''Smutsia gigantea'') in most respects, the humerus also shared similarities with other extant pangolins, as well as major differences. Unique features justified the creation of a novel species, ''Smutsia olteniensis''. This notably confirmed the presence of pangolins in Pleistocene Europe, while placing the specimen into the genus ''Smutsia'', present today only in Africa.
The species name recognizes the origin of the humerus fossil that determined it as a new species, found in the region of
Oltenia
Oltenia (), also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions – with the alternative Latin names , , and between 1718 and 1739 – is a historical province and geographical region of Romania in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Da ...
, Romania.
Behavior
It is difficult to infer the behavior of ''Smutsia olteniensis'' based on its fossil record alone, however specific traits and adaptations shared with the ''Smutsia'' genus, as well as among pangolins as a whole, makes it very likely ''Smutsia olteniensis'' acted similarly to its extant relatives.
Taxonomy
Of the three species currently recognised with the genus, ''Smutsia gigantea'' and ''Smutsia temminckii'' are still in existence, while ''Smutsia olteniensis'' is thought to have lived around 1.9 to 2.2 million years ago. The fossil record suggests that ''Smutsia olteniensis'' may have been more closely related to ''Smutsia gigantea'', the giant pangolin.
Mammal classification
Mammalia is a class of animal within the phylum Chordata. Mammal classification has been through several iterations since Carl Linnaeus initially defined the class. No classification system is universally accepted; McKenna & Bell (1997) and Wils ...
*
Smutsia
African ground pangolin (''Smutsia'' - " Smuts's animal") is a genus of pangolins from subfamily Smutsiinae within family Manidae. It was formerly considered a subgenus of genus ''Manis''. Its members are the more terrestrial of the African pang ...
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q110518084
†
A dagger, obelisk, or obelus is a typographical mark that usually indicates a footnote if an asterisk has already been used. The symbol is also used to indicate death (of people) or extinction (of species or languages). It is one of the mo ...