''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 {{Paleo-carnivora-stub