Paleontologists at the University of Zurich have discovered a 16 million-year-old fossilized skull of a new species of giant river dolphin in Peru.

Named Pebanista yacuruna, the prehistoric dolphin measured up to 3.5 meters and was fully adapted to freshwater life, utilizing echolocation in murky waters.

The extinction of P. yacuruna is linked to an ecological shift approximately 11 to 12 million years ago, coinciding with the transformation of a mega wetland into the modern Amazon.

This discovery provides significant insights into the evolution of Amazon river dolphins and the prehistoric Amazonian environment.

The research, published in Science Advances, emphasizes the current threat to the survival of existing river dolphins due to human activities.