Nimravides
Encyclopedia
Nimravides was a prehistoric saber-toothed
felid that lived in North America during the middle and late Miocene
. Despite its scientific name Nimravides does not belong to the Nimravidae
, but is a true felid, belonging to the family Felidae
.
The earlier species of the genus, like Nimravides pedionomus from Chlaredonian
deposits are smaller and more primitive than later forms, like Nimravides catacopsis. The tiger-sized Nimravides catacopsis strongly resembles the primitive Machairodus
aphanistus, a species known from the Late Miocene of Eurasia.
Saber-toothed cat
Saber-toothed cat or Sabre-toothed cat refers to the extinct subfamilies of Machairodontinae , Barbourofelidae , and Nimravidae as well as two families related to marsupials that were found worldwide from the Eocene Epoch to the end of the Pleistocene Epoch ,...
felid that lived in North America during the middle and 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...
. Despite its scientific name Nimravides does not belong to the 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...
, but is a true felid, belonging to the family 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...
.
The earlier species of the genus, like Nimravides pedionomus from Chlaredonian
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...
deposits are smaller and more primitive than later forms, like Nimravides catacopsis. The tiger-sized Nimravides catacopsis strongly resembles the primitive Machairodus
Machairodus
Machairodus was a genus of large machairodontine saber-toothed cats that lived in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America during the Miocene through Pleistocene living from 11.6mya—126,000 years ago, existing for approximately .-Species:...
aphanistus, a species known from the Late Miocene of Eurasia.