Mellivora benfieldi
{{Short description|Extinct species of mustelid}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Mellivora benfieldi mandible.JPG
| image_caption = Mellivora benfieldi mandible
| fossil_range = Late Miocene - Early Pliocene
{{Geological range|5.3|3.6}}
| extinct = yes
| genus = Mellivora
| species = benfieldi
| authority= Hendey, 1978{{cite book |last1=Avery |first1=D. Margaret |title=A Fossil History of Southern African Land Mammals |date=2019 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781108480888 |page=60}}
}}
Mellivora benfieldi or Benfield's honey badger is an extinct species of mustelid from the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene of Africa and possibly Europe.
Taxonomy
Mellivora benfieldi is considered a likely ancestor of the living honey badger.{{cite book |last1=Haile-Selassie |first1=Yohannes |title=Ardipithecus Kadabba: Late Miocene Evidence from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia |date=2009 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520254404 |pages=243–244}} The genus Mellivora probably evolved from the more primitive Promellivora punjabiensis of India. The two genera are grouped together in the tribe Eomellivorini together with the extinct giant mustelids Eomellivora and Ekorus.{{cite journal |last1= Valenciano |first1= A. |last2= Govender |first2= R. |date= July 2020 |title= New fossils of Mellivora benfieldi (Mammalia, Carnivora, Mustelidae) from Langebaanweg, 'E' Quarry (South Africa, Early Pliocene) : re-evaluation of the African Neogene Mellivorines |journal= Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume= 40 |issue= 4 |pages= e1817754 |doi= 10.1080/02724634.2020.1817754|bibcode= 2020JVPal..40E7754V |s2cid= 227249176 }}
Distribution
Fossils of Mellivora benfieldi were first recovered from Langebaanweg in South Africa. Additional material probably from this species has also been found in the Middle Awash in Ethiopia. Fossils attributed to this species have also been found in southern Europe dated to the end of the Messinian; a migration of African mammals into mediterranean Europe has been noted at that time.{{cite book |title=Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie: Abhandlungen - Volume 252 |date=2009 |publisher=E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung |page=49}}
Description
Mellivora benfieldi was similar to the modern honey badger, but slightly smaller in size. Like its living relative, it had adaptations for digging and probably was an opportunistic predator.{{cite web |author1=Taylor & Francis Group |title=5-Million-Year-Old Honey Badger-Like Animal Discovered |url=https://scitechdaily.com/5-million-year-old-honey-badger-like-animal-discovered/amp/ |website=SciTechDaily |date=November 2, 2020}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q108422513}}
Category:Prehistoric mustelids
Category:Miocene mammals of Europe
Category:Miocene mammals of Africa
Category:Pliocene mammals of Europe