A group of scientists have revealed that there were at least 20 meat-eating mammals thriving in southern Germany approximately 11.5 million years ago, nestled within a fossil-rich site known as Hammerschmiede. Recent excavations have unveiled a plethora of fossilized creatures and plants, including a remarkable 350 individual carnivorous mammals. Lead author of the study, Nikolaos Kargopoulos, highlighted the most notable find among the specimens: a remarkably well-preserved marten skull. This discovery is poised to shed light on a previously unknown genus of large extinct martens.

(Photo: David Clode/Unsplash)Giant toothed platypusNew Fossils in Hammerschmiede

Professor Madelaine Böhme spearheaded the excavation efforts that unearthed a variety of fossils from animals inhabiting semi-aquatic environments, with some even dwelling in trees. According to the professor, these species had adapted to the river and surrounding woodland in the region during that era.

The animals documented at the site belonged to the order Carnivora. Among them were four marten-like species, two relatives of the modern wolverine, four species of otter, three species of skunk, two species from the red panda family, three different genets, four marten-like species, and several species from groups that have no living representatives today.

One of the smaller predators in the area was a weasel weighing merely one to two kilograms. Its distinct dental characteristics indicate a diet exclusively comprising meat. The species was named Circamustela hartmanni in honor of the Hartmann family.

Wolverines, skunks, and even red pandas were anticipated in the European fossil record. However, Böhme expressed surprise at their high concentration within this site.

Böhme further remarked that the presence of 20 different species of small carnivores in the same location suggests a robust and balanced ecosystem during that period, capable of sustaining various forms of life.

“Based on an analysis of body mass, feeding habits, and locomotion patterns, each of the discovered species seems to have occupied a distinct ecological niche. They utilized different natural resources, thereby minimizing competition,” noted Kargopoulos.

The current Hammerschmiede team comprises Professor Madelaine Böhme from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen, Nikolaos Kargopoulos, and other colleagues from the University of Tübingen, as well as researchers from Zaragoza and Barcelona. Their research findings have been presented in the PLOS ONE journal.

Ever since the 2019 unveiling of Danuvius guggenmosi, the first known ape to walk upright, the site has garnered significant attention.

In September 2021, researchers identified a species belonging to the extinct genus Vishnuonyx. This discovery was based on the 11.4-million-year-old lower jaw found at the Upper Miocene site of Hammerschmiede.

One of the recent discoveries was published in March 2022 in Taylor and Francis Online. Scientists from the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt and the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at the University of Tübingen unearthed fossil remains of a prehistoric waterfowl. However, this belonged to an unknown species. It was uncovered in the Hammerschmiede clay pit.