''Smutsia olteniensis'' is an extinct species of the genus ''
Smutsia
''Smutsia'' is a genus of African pangolins, better known as the African ground pangolins, from subfamily Smutsiinae, within family Manidae. It was formerly considered a subgenus of '' Manis''. Its members are the more terrestrial of the African ...
'', more commonly known as the African ground
pangolin
Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (, from Ancient Greek ϕολιδωτός – "clad in scales"). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smut ...
s. This species lived during the
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
epoch. Fossilized remains of the species were found in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, providing evidence regarding the existence of pangolins in Europe during the
Plio-Pleistocene
The Plio-Pleistocene is an informally described geological pseudo-period, which begins about 5 million years ago (Mya) and, drawing forward, combines the time ranges of the formally defined Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs—marking from about 5&nbs ...
period.
Description
The appearance of ''Smutsia olteniensis'' is assumed to be closely similar to that of its two extant relatives, ''
Smutsia gigantea
The giant pangolin (''Smutsia gigantea'') is the largest species in the family of pangolins. Members of the species inhabit Africa with a range stretching along the equator from West Africa to Uganda. It subsists almost entirely on ants and t ...
'' and ''
Smutsia temminckii
The ground pangolin (''Smutsia temminckii''), also known as Temminck's pangolin, Cape pangolin or steppe pangolin, is one of four species of pangolins which can be found in Africa, and the only one in southern and eastern Africa. The animal was n ...
'', the giant pangolin and ground pangolin, respectively.
Analysis of a right humerus of ''Smutsia olteniensis'', as well as comparison with extant ''Smutsia'' pangolins and a
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Oltet River valley of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. This region was explored extensively in the 1960s, with multiple fossil localities named in the vicinity of the village of Tetoui. Previous reports and publications regarding the site communicated a difficult to identify species, likely of the genus ''
Manis
''Manis'' is a genus of South Asian and East Asian pangolins, the Asiatic pangolins, from subfamily Maninae, within family Manidae.
Etymology
Carl Linnaeus (1758) invented the Neo-Latin generic name ''Manis'' apparently as a feminine singular ...
''; however, they did not choose to go into detail on the fossil. Thus, recent reanalysis has expanded information on fauna from the Graunceanu region, as well as other fossil localities existing in the surrounding area. A right humerus was accessioned, catalogued, and photographed in a reinventory process, with prior records and inventories from the original excavation having been lost.
It became clear during the process that the humerus derived from a pangolin, specifically a member of the ground pangolin genus ''Smutsia''. Although very similar to the giant pangolin (''Smutsia gigantea'') in most respects, the humerus also shared similarities with other extant pangolins, as well as major differences. Unique features justified the creation of a novel species, ''Smutsia olteniensis''. This notably confirmed the presence of pangolins in Pleistocene Europe, while placing the specimen into the genus ''Smutsia'', present today only in Africa.
The species name recognizes the origin of the humerus fossil that determined it as a new species, found in the region of
Oltenia
Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania ...
, Romania.
Behavior
It is difficult to infer the behavior of ''Smutsia olteniensis'' based on its fossil record alone, however specific traits and adaptations shared with the ''Smutsia'' genus, as well as among pangolins as a whole, makes it very likely ''Smutsia olteniensis'' acted similarly to its extant relatives.