Scientists recently discovered a 66-million-year-old fossil representing a new species they have named the adalatherium — which translates to “crazy beast,” according to USAToday.
The skeleton was unexpectedly discovered by paleontologists in Madagascar, who were at the time working to uncover a nearby crocodile skeleton, according to LiveScience.
In a statement, Guillermo Rougier of the University of Louisville said the creature “has teeth for which we have no parallel.” But the creature wouldn’t have been much of a threat, according to BBC. Scientists believe it wasn’t much larger than a badger.
Instead of being a fierce predator, the “crazy beast” was likely a plant-eating burrower, according to the New York Post. A large amount of nerves were found in its nose, but due to the odd nature of the creature’s leg structure, scientists believe it likely moved more like a lizard than a rodent.
The creature’s size was massive for a mammal of its time, as most were typically the size of mice, LiveScience reports.
The adalatherium was part of a now-extinct mammal species — the Gondwanatherians. This makes the discovery extremely rare, according to BBC.