''Sardolutra ichnusae'' is an extinct species of
otter
Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...
from the
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is an unofficial Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, also known as Upper Pleistocene from a Stratigraphy, stratigraphic perspective. It is intended to be the fourth division of ...
of Sardinia. It was originally described as ''Nesolutra ichnusae''. It was a rather small species of otter, probably living in the sea. Among its characteristics is a relatively very large
baculum, larger than in any living otter.
The species probably evolved from a species of ''
Lutra
''Lutra'' is a genus of otters, one of seven in the subfamily Lutrinae.
Taxonomy and evolution
The genus includes these species:
Extant species
Extinct species
*†'' Lutra affinis''
*†'' Lutra bressana ''
*†'' Lutra bravardi''
*†'' ...
'', maybe ''
L. castiglionis''.
References
Prehistoric mustelids
Pleistocene carnivorans
Otters
Prehistoric mammals of Europe
Prehistoric monotypic mammal genera
Pleistocene genus extinctions
Fossil taxa described in 1992
Prehistoric carnivoran genera
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