Fossil of Previously Unknown Fox Species Found in South Africa
Posted on January 23, 2013
Researchers from Wits University and the University of Johannesburg in South Africa have announced the discovery of a two million year old fossil fox at the archaeological site of Malapa in South Africa. This site is also where skeletons of a new species of human ancestor named Australopithecus sediba were discovered.
The newly discovered fox fossils consist of a mandible and parts of the skeleton. The fox, dubbed Malapa fox, has been given the scientific name Vulpes Skinneri after recently deceased South African mammalogist and ecologist, Prof. John Skinner of the University of Pretoria.
Dr. Brian Kuhn of Wits' Institute for Human Evolution (IHE) and the School of GeoSciences, and co-author of the paper, said in a statement, "It's exciting to see a new fossil fox. The ancestry of foxes is perhaps the most poorly known among African carnivores and to see a potential ancestral form of living foxes is wonderful."
The research paper was published here in the journal, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa.
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