Context Newly found fossils of Vishnuonyx have been found in the area of Hammerschmiede, which is a fossil site in Bavaria, Germany.
Between 12.5 million and 14 million years ago, members of a genus of otters called Vishnuonyx lived in the major rivers of southern Asia.
Key takeaways
Fossils of these now extinct otters were first discovered in sediments found in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Now, the newly found fossil indicates it had travelled as far as Germany.
The newly discovered fossils have been named Vishnuonyx neptuni, meaning ‘Neptune’s Vishnu’.
This is the first discovery of any member of the Vishnuonyx genus in Europe.
It is also its most northern and western record till date.
About Vishnuonyx
Vishnuonyx were mid-sized predators that weighed, on average, 10-15 kg.
Before this, the genus was known only in Asia and Africa.
Vishnuonyx depended on water and could not travel long distances over land.
How did it travel as far as Europe?
According to the researchers, its travels over 6,000 km were probably made possible by the geography of 12 million years ago, when the Alps were recently formed.
These Alps and the Iranian Elbrus Mountains were separated by a large ocean basin, which would have made it easier for the otters to cross it.
