In Depth As a barbourofelid Ginsburgsmilus is more popularly known as a ‘false sabre-toothed cat’ since the Barbourofelidae are not thought to related to modern cats of today beyond the fact that they are all members of the Carnivora. As such Ginsburgsmilus is related to other members of the Barbourofelidae such as Sansanosmilus, Prosansanosmilus, Afrosmilus … Read more
In Depth The name Dinocrocuta translates to English as ‘terrible hyena’, with ‘dino meaning terrible and the ‘crocuta’ part being a reference to the Crocuta genus which is home to modern hyenas that we can see alive today. This is born out of a superficial similarity in physical form between modern hyenas and Dinocrocuta, however … Read more
In Depth One of the daphoenine bear dogs that are so far exclusive to North America, Daphoenictis was similar to the type genus of this group Daphoenus. Although definitely a bear dog, Daphoenictis fossils bear a resemblance to cats, something leading to the name Daphoenictis which translates as ‘Daphoenus cat’. Daphoenictis seems to have shared … Read more
In Depth In popular culture Amphicyon is possibly the best known genera of the group known as ‘bear dogs’. This group was so named because of the immensely robust build of the body that gave them the appearance of bears even though the heads were more dog-like. Despite this more general name, Amphicyon was not … Read more
In Depth As a nimravid, Dinictis looked and hunted like a cat, yet it hunted across North America during a much earlier period before the emergence of true cats, hence the reason why the label of ‘false sabre-toothed cat’ is often applied to Dinictis as well as the other nimravids. One key difference is the … Read more
Classification confusion Today the American lion is usually treated as a sub species of the African lion (Panthera leo) which is why it is more commonly credited as Panthera leo atrox. However there are a large number of researchers who consider the American lion to be different enough from the African lion to give it … Read more
In Depth The hyenas had their origin in ancient genera such as Ictitherium, but by the Miocene exceptionally large forms such as Percrocuta had already evolved into a more recognisably hyena form. Percrocuta possessed robust skull and jaws with attachment points that would have allowed for a powerful bite. The rear teeth of Percrocuta however … Read more
In Depth A little known nimravid, Pogonodon seems to have had a wide distribution from the USA to the Ukraine as well as existing for around twenty-three and half million years. This suggests that Pogonodon would have been one of the most successful genera of nimravid so far known. Further Reading Further reading- Scientific news. … Read more
In Depth Dire wolves are extremely well known and are the single most common species of animal found at the world famous Rancho La brea Tar Pits. For a time of about one-hundred thousand years, the ranges of the dire wolf and gray wolf (Canis lupus) overlapped, and the two coexisted together. The dire wolf … Read more
In Depth Megantereon has a popular standing within the realm of big cat palaeontology as it is thought by many to be the ancestor to the considerably more famous Smilodon (often incorrectly dubbed the Sabre-toothed tiger). Megantereon itself is often referred to as a dirk toothed cat because while the upper canines are enlarged, they … Read more