# Scientists discover a giant 66-pound rodent that lived 34 million years ago

Source: [Plants & Animals News -- ScienceDaily](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261110042532.htm) · 2026-11-11 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/scientists-discover-a-giant-66-pound-rodent-that-lived-34-million-years-ago-9286d32c72357028
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- Fossils of a giant rodent, named Yakamys sirindhornae, were found in Thailand.
- The animal lived about 34 million years ago and may have weighed around 66 pounds, roughly twice the weight of comparable rodents (per the source's comparison).
- The finding suggests enormous rodents evolved much earlier than previously thought.

## Why it matters

The find pushes back the estimated timing of large rodent evolution, which matters for anyone reconstructing how mammal body sizes and lineages changed over time.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: Discovery of the Yakamys sirindhornae fossils reported by ScienceDaily

## Coverage

- [Scientists discover a giant 66-pound rodent that lived 34 million years ago](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/11/261110042532.htm) — Plants & Animals News -- ScienceDaily, 2026-11-11

Tags: paleontology, rodents, fossils, thailand, mammal evolution

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science