Barbourofelis

genus of mammals in the order Carnivora (fossil)

Barbourofelis is an extinct genus of large, carnivorous, mammals. They were a type of saber-toothed cat.

Barbourofelis
Temporal range: Late Miocene-Pliocene 13.6–7.3 Ma
B. loveorum , Florida Museum of Natural History Fossil Hall at the University of Florida
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Barbourofelidae
Genus: Barbourofelis
Schultz, Schultz & Martin, 1970
Type species
Barbourofelis fricki
Schultz, Schultz & Martin, 1970
Species
  • B. fricki
  • B. loveorum
  • B. morrisi
  • B. piveteaui

The genus was found in North America during the Miocene to Pleistocene. They lived from 13.6 – 5.3 million years ago (mya), which is about 8.3 million years.[1]

Its flattened saber teeth were protected by a bony flange from the lower jaw. It was a saber-toothed cat, but it was not a close relative of cats such as Smilodon.[2]

Barbourofelis has been difficult to classify. It was put in the Nimravidae by Schultz (1970) and Martin (1998).

References

change
  1. "Paleobiology Database (Barbourofelidae)". Retrieved 19 Oct 2012.
  2. Antón, Mauricio 2013. Sabertooth. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press. p. 104. ISBN 9780253010421