Peruvian scientists have unearthed a fossilized brain of a mammal that lived in the country’s northern jungle regions some 20 million years ago, daily El Comercio reported.
The fossil was found in the basin of the Santiago River in the northern department of Amazonas on May 12 by a team led by paleontologist Klaus Hönninger.
“It is the first time I’ve seen something like this, so well conserved and whole,” said Hönninger, who is the director of the Meyer Hönninger museum in Chiclayo.
It was preserved thanks to its coverage by sediment with a high level of carbonate, he added.
The fossil measures 12cm wide, 11cm long and 9cm high, which is about the size of a cow’s brain, said Hönninger. Some aspects of the fossilized brain indicate that it could have belonged to a primate, although other features support the idea that it was from a quadruped.
