Researchers at the University of Zurich have revealed that they found an ancient dolphin fossil in the Amazon River in 2018, and have since been studying the bones to try and gather more information about the 11-foot-long mammal.

The newly named Pebanista Yacuruna was estimated to have lived in the Miocene proto-Amazonia of Peru 16 million years ago. Despite many of the common species of dolphins that inhabit the ocean, this one lived in the freshwater of the Amazon River. It is fascinating to many paleontologists because this discovery allows researchers to gain more insight into the history of freshwater dolphins since there are no longer any living dolphins in the Amazon. 

The first part of the fossil that was discovered was the jaw and Mr. Benites-Palomino saw it as he was walking on an embankment along Napo River with one of his colleagues. When Mr. Benites-Palomino and his team realized what they had found they all screamed ‘It’s a dolphin! It’s a dolphin!’” 

CNN revealed that study authors are surprised with the discovery because “these creatures are extremely rare in the fossil record. This is because there tend to be fewer individual dolphins in freshwater ecosystems.” The harsh water currents also tend to destroy many fossils that could potentially lead to the discovery of a new species. The excitement of this fossil stems from the fact that the discovery of this new species will add another branch to the intricate family tree of river dolphins.

The discovery of Pebanista Yacuruna is also a strong reminder of how more of the environment is quickly being destroyed by pollution and mining which is hurting the food chain. Freshwater ecosystems are fragile and the rapid environmental changes, like global warming, are hurting other species in the river.