This is a fossil jaw bone of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/paleontologists-uncover-the-oldest-sabertoothed-predator-180979725/" class="on">Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae, a newly discovered, earliest-known sabertooth species</a>. This sabertooth lived approximately 42 million years ago in ancient San Diego, a warm environment covered in lush forests.

This picture depicts a reconstruction of what&nbsp;Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae&nbsp;would have looked like in its natural habitat.Despite its intimidating fangs, scientists estimate&nbsp;Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae&nbsp;to be the size of a modern bobcat. Like other sabertooths, scientists predict it possessed special feeding adaptations, such as being able to cut meat using its cheek teeth. It might have fed on primates and other mammals.

Paleontologist Ashley Poust, pictured above, examined the fossil jaw bone after finding it in the <a href="http://www.sdnhm.org">San Diego Natural History Museum</a> fossil library. Poust theorised about&nbsp;Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae's&nbsp;path to extinction. As a hypercarnivore,&nbsp;Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae&nbsp;might have a difficult time switching to other food sources when prey changed or disappeared.&nbsp;&nbsp;Poust and colleagues reported their findings in <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/13032/" class="on">PeerJ</a>.#sabertooth #fossil #scientificdiscovery #paleontologyImage source: San Diego Natural History Museum

Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae: The Oldest Sabertoothed Predator is 42-Million-Years-Old

Scientists have named a newly discovered species of hammerhead flatworm&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-named-a-predatory-flatworm-after-covid-19" class="on">Humbertium covidum</a>. Sounds familiar? This predatory flatworm was named in homage to all the loved ones that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken from us.Like its name, the hammerhead flatworm has a distinctive hammer-shaped head. Its slick 3-cm long body is metallic black and, unlike many other flatworm species, lacks stripes or other ornamentation. ​Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://laughosaurus.com/p/we-dont-talk-about-covid-no-no-no-encantos-we-dont-talk-about-bruno-parody-song-by-the-holderness-family" class="on">We Don't Talk About Covid, No no no</a>

H. covidum&nbsp;was discovered in two French gardens and one Italian garden - but the species is an alien one in Europe, so scientists surmised that it hitched a ride from Asia via the plant trade.The flatworm's discovery was later published by French parasitologist Jean-Lou Justine and team in the journal <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/12725/">Peer J</a>. The team suggested that the flatworm originated from Asia and managed to spread around the world via plants carried by humans. They also found that&nbsp;H. covidum&nbsp;had been eating slugs and snails, and feared the behaviour would disrupt the surrounding ecosystem.#COVID19 #Flatworm #ScientificDiscovery #Humbertiumcovidum #newspeciesImage source: <a href="https://peerj.com/articles/12725/">Pierre Gros,&nbsp;Peer J, 2022</a>​