Hoplophoneus

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Hoplophoneus
Hoplophoneus skeleton

Hoplophoneus skeleton

Temporal occurrence
Upper Eocene to Oligocene
36 to 25 million years
Locations
Systematics
Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Laurasiatheria
Predators (Carnivora)
Feline (Feliformia)
Nimravidae
Hoplophoneus
Scientific name
Hoplophoneus
Cope , 1874
Drawing of Hoplophoneus

Hoplophoneus is an extinct genus of large, feline predators that belonged to the Nimravidae family. Hoplophoneus existed in the Upper Eocene and Oligocene . Fossils are mainly known from North America, but have also been described from Asia. The predator was strongly reminiscent of the later saber-tooth cats , but was not closely related to them.

features

The build of Hoplophoneus was very reminiscent of that of cats , which appeared much later. The physique was very muscular, which shows the robust bone structure. The upper canine teeth were greatly elongated, similar to the later saber-tooth cats in the narrower sense (Machairodontinae). A flange on the lower jaw protected each of the two saber teeth. The limbs were relatively short, the spine, and thus the body itself, very elongated compared to cats. So Hoplophoneus was overall quite low, but built long and massive. Hoplophoneus mentalis, for example, only had a shoulder height of around 50 cm, but was certainly larger than a leopard overall .

Types and distribution

One of the earliest species was Hoplophoneus mentalis from the late Eocene of North America. This species was larger than a leopard and already had greatly elongated upper canines. In the relatively small, approximately leopard-sized species Hoplophoneus occidentalis , however, the upper canines were only moderately elongated. Hoplophoneus fossils are also known from the Upper Eocene of Thailand. The two large North American species, Eusmilus sciarius and Eusmilus dakotensis, are either Eusmilus or Hoplophoneus , depending on the author .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c A. Turner, M. Antón: The big cats and their fossil relatives. Columbia University Press, New York NY 1997, ISBN 0-231-10229-1 .
  2. ↑ S. Peigné, Y. Chaimanee, J.-J. Jaeger, V. Suteethorn and S. Ducrocq (2000): Eocene Nimravid Carnivorans from Thailand. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology; Vol. 20, Issue 1.
  3. ^ Mauricio Antón: Sabertooth . Indiana University Press, November 2013 ISBN 0-253-01042-X pp. 96-98

Web links

Commons : Hoplophoneus  - collection of images, videos and audio files