| Siamogale melilutra Temporal range: Late Miocene,
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | †Siamogale |
| Species: | †S. melilutra
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| Binomial name | |
| †Siamogale melilutra Wang, Grohé, Su, White, Ji, Kelley, You & Yang, 2017
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Siamogale melilutra is an extinct species of giant otter from the late Miocene from Yunnan province, China.
Ranking among the largest fossil otters, Siamogale represents a feeding ecomorphology with no living analog. Its giant size and high mandibular strength confer shell-crushing capability matched only by other extinct molluscivores, such as the bear-like marine stem-pinniped Kolponomos.[1]
- ^ Tseng, Z. Jack; Su, Denise F.; Wang, Xiaoming; White, Stuart C.; Ji, Xueping (2017-11-09). "Feeding capability in the extinct giant Siamogale melilutra and comparative mandibular biomechanics of living Lutrinae". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 15225. Bibcode:2017NatSR...715225T. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-15391-9. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5680181. PMID 29123190.