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Nimravidae
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Nimravidae
Nimravidae is an extinct family of carnivorans, sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats, whose fossils are found in North America, Africa, and Eurasia. Nimravids were the first lineage of carnivorans to evolve large body sizes and specialized into hunting large bodied prey. Not considered to belong to the true cats (family Felidae), the nimravids are generally considered closely related and classified as a distinct family in the suborder Feliformia. The family consisted of three subfamilies hoplophonines, nimravines, and barbourofelines. Barboroufelines were initially classified as a subfamily of the Nimravidae since 1991, however in 2004, they were reassigned to their own distinct family. Since 2020, the majority of experts consider barbourofelines as nimravids again. Nimravids first appeared in the Middle Eocene in Asia, with Maofelis being the most plesiomorphic taxa. The family went extinct around 7 Ma.
The family Nimravidae was named by American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope in 1880, with the type genus as Nimravus. The family was assigned to Fissipedia by Cope (1889); to Caniformia by Flynn and Galiano (1982); to Aeluroidea by Carroll (1988); to Feliformia by Bryant (1991); and to Carnivoramorpha, by Wesley-Hunt and Werdelin (2005).
Nimravids are placed in tribes by some authors to reflect closer relationships between genera within the family. Some nimravids evolved into large, toothed, cat-like forms with massive flattened upper canines and accompanying mandibular flanges. Some had dentition similar to felids, or modern cats, with smaller canines. Others had moderately increased canines in a more intermediate relationship between the saber-toothed cats and felids. The upper canines were not only shorter, but also more conical, than those of the true saber-toothed cats (Machairodontinae). These nimravids are referred to as "false saber-tooths". The barbourofelids were for a while no longer included in Nimravidae, following elevation to family as sister clade to the true cats (family Felidae). However, majority of recent studies have returned them to Nimravidae, with one study suggesting they are part of Nimravinae.
Not only did nimravids exhibit diverse dentition, but they also showed the same diversity in size and morphology as cats. Nimravids such as Barbourofelis morrisi, Eusmilus sicarius, and Hoplophoneus occidentalis were leopard-sized, while some, such as Albanosmilus jourdani and E. adelos, were the size jaguars to small lions. The largest nimravids, Quercylurus and Barbourofelis fricki, were able to reach even larger sizes, weighing 200 kg (440 lb) and 328 kg (723 lb) respectively. Dinaelurus had the short face, rounded skull, and smaller canines of the modern cheetah, and some such as E. bidentatus and Nanosmilus, were only the size of a small bobcat.
The phylogenetic relationships of Nimravidae are shown in the following cladogram:
A 2021 study divides Nimravidae into Hoplophoninae and Nimravinae, the latter including the bulk of species in addition to barbourofelins.
Phylogeny of Nimravidae from the 2022 description of Pangurban:
Most nimravids had muscular, low-slung, cat-like bodies, with shorter legs and tails than are typical of cats. Unlike extant Feliformia, the nimravids had a different bone structure in the small bones of the ear. The middle ear of true cats is housed in an external structure called an auditory bulla, which is separated by a septum into two chambers. Nimravid remains show ossified bullae with no septum, or no trace at all of the entire bulla. They are assumed to have had a cartilaginous housing of the ear mechanism. Nimravid feet were short, indicating they walked in a plantigrade or semiplantigrade posture, i.e., on the flat of the feet rather than the toes, like modern cats.
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Nimravidae
Nimravidae is an extinct family of carnivorans, sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats, whose fossils are found in North America, Africa, and Eurasia. Nimravids were the first lineage of carnivorans to evolve large body sizes and specialized into hunting large bodied prey. Not considered to belong to the true cats (family Felidae), the nimravids are generally considered closely related and classified as a distinct family in the suborder Feliformia. The family consisted of three subfamilies hoplophonines, nimravines, and barbourofelines. Barboroufelines were initially classified as a subfamily of the Nimravidae since 1991, however in 2004, they were reassigned to their own distinct family. Since 2020, the majority of experts consider barbourofelines as nimravids again. Nimravids first appeared in the Middle Eocene in Asia, with Maofelis being the most plesiomorphic taxa. The family went extinct around 7 Ma.
The family Nimravidae was named by American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope in 1880, with the type genus as Nimravus. The family was assigned to Fissipedia by Cope (1889); to Caniformia by Flynn and Galiano (1982); to Aeluroidea by Carroll (1988); to Feliformia by Bryant (1991); and to Carnivoramorpha, by Wesley-Hunt and Werdelin (2005).
Nimravids are placed in tribes by some authors to reflect closer relationships between genera within the family. Some nimravids evolved into large, toothed, cat-like forms with massive flattened upper canines and accompanying mandibular flanges. Some had dentition similar to felids, or modern cats, with smaller canines. Others had moderately increased canines in a more intermediate relationship between the saber-toothed cats and felids. The upper canines were not only shorter, but also more conical, than those of the true saber-toothed cats (Machairodontinae). These nimravids are referred to as "false saber-tooths". The barbourofelids were for a while no longer included in Nimravidae, following elevation to family as sister clade to the true cats (family Felidae). However, majority of recent studies have returned them to Nimravidae, with one study suggesting they are part of Nimravinae.
Not only did nimravids exhibit diverse dentition, but they also showed the same diversity in size and morphology as cats. Nimravids such as Barbourofelis morrisi, Eusmilus sicarius, and Hoplophoneus occidentalis were leopard-sized, while some, such as Albanosmilus jourdani and E. adelos, were the size jaguars to small lions. The largest nimravids, Quercylurus and Barbourofelis fricki, were able to reach even larger sizes, weighing 200 kg (440 lb) and 328 kg (723 lb) respectively. Dinaelurus had the short face, rounded skull, and smaller canines of the modern cheetah, and some such as E. bidentatus and Nanosmilus, were only the size of a small bobcat.
The phylogenetic relationships of Nimravidae are shown in the following cladogram:
A 2021 study divides Nimravidae into Hoplophoninae and Nimravinae, the latter including the bulk of species in addition to barbourofelins.
Phylogeny of Nimravidae from the 2022 description of Pangurban:
Most nimravids had muscular, low-slung, cat-like bodies, with shorter legs and tails than are typical of cats. Unlike extant Feliformia, the nimravids had a different bone structure in the small bones of the ear. The middle ear of true cats is housed in an external structure called an auditory bulla, which is separated by a septum into two chambers. Nimravid remains show ossified bullae with no septum, or no trace at all of the entire bulla. They are assumed to have had a cartilaginous housing of the ear mechanism. Nimravid feet were short, indicating they walked in a plantigrade or semiplantigrade posture, i.e., on the flat of the feet rather than the toes, like modern cats.
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