Barbourofelidae
Encyclopedia
Barbourofelidae is an extinct family
of mammal
ian carnivores
of the suborder Feliformia
, which lived in North America
, Eurasia
and Africa
during the Miocene
epoch (16.9—9.0 mya), existing for approximately .
Barbourofelidae were previously placed as a subfamily of the extinct Nimravidae
, the barbourofelids have been recently assigned to their own distinct family, and are now thought to be taxonomically closer to the Felidae
than to the Nimravidae. They first appear in the fossil
record in the early Miocene
of Africa
. By the end of the early Miocene a land bridge
had opened between Africa and Eurasia
, allowing for a fauna
l exchange between the two continents. Barbourofelids migrated at least three times from Africa to Europe (Morlo 2006) . While evolving in Europe to the genus
Sansanosmilus
, Barbourofelids migrated also through Eurasia and reached North America
by the late Miocene
, represented there by the genus
Barbourofelis
only.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
ian carnivores
Carnivora
The diverse order Carnivora |Latin]] carō "flesh", + vorāre "to devour") includes over 260 species of placental mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal...
of the suborder Feliformia
Feliformia
The Feliformia are a suborder within the order Carnivora and includes cats , hyenas, mongooses, civets and related taxa. The other suborder of Carnivora is Caniformia...
, which lived in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
during the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
epoch (16.9—9.0 mya), existing for approximately .
Taxonomy
Barbourofelinae was named by Schultz et al. (1970). It is not extant. Its type is Barbourofelis. It was re-ranked as the family Barbourofelidae by Morlo et al. (2004). It was assigned to Nimravidae by Bryant (1991); and to Carnivora by Morlo et al. (2004).Barbourofelidae were previously placed as a subfamily of the extinct Nimravidae
Nimravidae
The Nimravidae, sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats, are an extinct family of mammalian carnivores belonging to the suborder Feliformia and endemic to North America, Europe, and Asia living from the Eocene through the Miocene epochs , existing for approximately .-Morphology:Although some...
, the barbourofelids have been recently assigned to their own distinct family, and are now thought to be taxonomically closer to the Felidae
Felidae
Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the strictest carnivores of the thirteen terrestrial families in the order Carnivora, although the three families of marine mammals comprising the superfamily pinnipedia are as carnivorous as the...
than to the Nimravidae. They first appear in the fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
record in the early Miocene
Early Miocene
The Early Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages....
of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. By the end of the early Miocene a land bridge
Land bridge
A land bridge, in biogeography, is an isthmus or wider land connection between otherwise separate areas, over which animals and plants are able to cross and colonise new lands...
had opened between Africa and Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, allowing for a fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
l exchange between the two continents. Barbourofelids migrated at least three times from Africa to Europe (Morlo 2006) . While evolving in Europe to the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Sansanosmilus
Sansanosmilus
Sansanosmilus is an extinct genus of carnivorous mammal of the family Barbourofelidae endemic to Europe, and Asia living during the Miocene 13.6—11.1 mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
, Barbourofelids migrated also through Eurasia and reached North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by the late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
, represented there by the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Barbourofelis
Barbourofelis
Barbourofelis is an extinct genus of large, mostly carnivorous mammals of the family Barbourofelidae endemic to North America, during the Miocene living from 13.6—5.3 Ma and existed for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
only.
Classification
- Family †Barbourofelidae
- Genus †GinsburgsmilusGinsburgsmilusGinsburgsmilus is an extinct genus of carnivorous mammal of the family Barbourofelidae endemic to Africa during the early Miocene. There is only one known specimen of Ginsburgsmilus napakensis, dated to 20-19 mya.-Taxonomy:...
- †Ginsburgsmilus napakensis
- Genus †Afrosmilus
- †Afrosmilus turkanae
- †Afrosmilus africanus
- †Afrosmilus hispanicus
- Genus †ProsansanosmilusProsansanosmilusProsansanosmilus is an extinct genus of mammalian carnivores of the suborder Feliformia, family Barbourofelidae, which lived in Europe during the Miocene epoch , existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
- †Prosansanosmilus peregrinus
- †Prosansanosmilus eggeri
- Genus †SansanosmilusSansanosmilusSansanosmilus is an extinct genus of carnivorous mammal of the family Barbourofelidae endemic to Europe, and Asia living during the Miocene 13.6—11.1 mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
- †Sansanosmilus palmidens
- †Sansanosmilus jourdani
- †Sansanosmilus vallesiensis
- †Sansanosmilus piveteaui
- Genus †Syrtosmilus
- †Syrtosmilus syrtensis
- Genus †Vampyrictis
- †Vampyrictis vipera
- Genus †BarbourofelisBarbourofelisBarbourofelis is an extinct genus of large, mostly carnivorous mammals of the family Barbourofelidae endemic to North America, during the Miocene living from 13.6—5.3 Ma and existed for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
- †Barbourofelis whitfordi
- †Barbourofelis lovei
- †Barbourofelis morrisi
- †Barbourofelis fricki
- Genus †Ginsburgsmilus