enormous hippopotamus skull - Fossil skull - hippopotamus...

The word laloumena literally means "hippopotamus" in Malagasy. The Hippopotamus laloumena is an extinct species of hippopotamus that lived in Madagascar during the Pleistocene and Holocene. It is the oldest and largest among the three known Malagasy hippo species, larger than H. lemerlei and H. madagascariensis, with a frame approaching that of the great African mammals. The species was formally described in 1990 by French paleontologists M. Faure and C. Guérin. The remains (including a jawbone and some limb bones) were found near Mananjary on the island’s eastern coast. Like the rest of Madagascar’s megafauna, it became extinct following the arrival of humans on the island, due to hunting and environmental changes. This lot shows a fossil skull of an individual from the Quaternary period, specifically the Holocene. Weight about 4.8 kg (L 47 cm, W 33.5 cm, D 25 cm). In absolutely excellent condition, considering that the lot in question is about 12,000 years old. We have deliberately decided not to undertake any restoration work, we believe that a piece so rare and beautiful should always be presented in its natural form. Good auction.

Estimate:£3,434.11

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