Phoberomys pattersoni is an extinct rodent that lived in the Orinoco River delta approximately 8 million years BP.
An almost complete skeleton of Phoberomys, discovered in Venezuela in 2000, has enabled researchers to reconstruct its size and probable lifestyle. It was 3 m long, with an additional 1.5 m tail, and probably weighed around 700 kilograms, making it the largest known rodent. Like other rodents, Phoberomys was a herbivore with high-crowned premolars and molars.
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Further Reading
- M.R. Sanchez-Villagra et al. (2003) Science vol. 301 p.1708.
- R. McNeill Alexander. (2003) Science vol. 301 p.1678-9.
