Jaggermeryx

Jaggermeryx is an extinct genus of semiaquatic anthracothere, ungulates related to hippopotamuses, from the Early Miocene Moghara Formation in Egypt. The genus was named after Mick Jagger.

Jagger's water nymph
Temporal range: Early Miocene
~19 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: †Anthracotheriidae
Genus: †Jaggermeryx
Species:
†J. naida
Binomial name
†Jaggermeryx naida
Miller et al., 2014[1]

Etymology

The species name, Jaggermeryx naida, literally translates as "Jagger's water nymph".[2] It was named after Mick Jagger, lead singer for The Rolling Stones, because of its oversized lips.[3] There was some debate among the team as to whether it should instead be named after Angelina Jolie. "Some of my colleagues suggested naming the new species after Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, because she also has famous lips," said lead author Ellen Miller.[4][5] It was eventually settled to name the species after Jagger when co-author Gregg Gunnell sided with Miller.[6]

Discovery

The first fossils of the species were described in a monograph published by a French scientist in 1918.[1] It was not until 2014, however, that the fossils were identified as a unique species from further specimens collected at Wadi Moghra in the Qattara Depression of Egypt.[7] The fossils have been deposited at the Cairo Geological Museum, Cairo University, and Duke University.[6][2]

At the site, six species of anthracotheres were discovered, but this sample was unlike other family members because of "a series of tiny holes on either side of its jaw that held the nerves providing sensation to the chin and lower lip."[3]

The National Science Foundation supported the research.[8]

Description

The size of a small deer, J. naida probably looked somewhat like a skinny hippopotamus out-crossed with a long-legged pig. Fossilized jawbones contain a number of mental foramina,[8] eight on each side of the jaw,[4] indicating that the species had very sensitive lips and a mobile snout.[8][9]

Habitat

J. naida lived in the Qattara Depression around 19 million years ago, during the early Miocene. At that time the area, which is currently arid, was a tropical swamp.[10] Jaggermeryx fossils have been found alongside those of catfish, turtles, and waterbirds, as well as six other species of anthracotheres and a number of crocodile coprolites.[8]

Paleobiology

The species was herbivorous, feeding on grasses and plants beside the water.[2][11] Judging by the low oxygen isotope values of its teeth, J. naida is believed to have been semiaquatic, likely spending most of the time when it was not feeding in the water, not unlike a hippopotamus.[8]

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See also

References
  1. Bonnie Davis (10 September 2014). "Fossil has lips like Jagger". Wake Forest University News Center. Wake Forest University. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  2. "Ancient swamp creature had lips like Mick Jagger". Phys.org. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  3. "New swamp fossil named after Mick Jagger". The Hindu. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  4. Rachel Feltman (10 September 2014). "Ancient swamp pig named after Mick Jagger for its luscious lips". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  5. Catherine Griffin (11 September 2014). "Ancient Deer-Like Swamp Creature Named After Mick Jagger has Supersized Lips". Science World Report. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  6. Sean Michaels (11 September 2014). "Mick Jagger has 19-million-year-old species of 'long-legged pig' named after him". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  7. Miller, Ellen R.; Gunnell, Gregg F.; Gawad, Mohamed Abdel; Hamdan, Mohamed; El-Barkooky, Ahmed N.; Clementz, Mark T.; Hassan, Safiya M. (September 2014). "Anthracotheres from Wadi Moghra, early Miocene, Egypt". Journal of Paleontology. Paleontological Society. 88 (5): 967–981. doi:10.1666/13-122. ISSN 0022-3360.
  8. "UW Researcher Contributes to Discovery of Mick Jagger-Like Swamp Creature". University of Wyoming. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  9. Ella Alexander (11 September 2014). "Mick Jagger has 'long-legged' fossilized pig with 'mobile and tactile lips' named after him". The Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  10. Allan Kozinn (10 September 2014). "Think Mick Jagger Is a Fossil? So Do Some Scientists". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  11. Mark Molloy (11 September 2014). "Prehistoric swamp creature had lips just like Mick Jagger". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
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