Sansanosmilus is an extinct 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...

 of carnivorous 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...

 of the family Barbourofelidae

Barbourofelidae

Barbourofelidae is an extinct family of mammalian carnivores of the suborder Feliformia, which lived in North America, Eurasia and Africa during the Miocene epoch , existing for approximately .- Taxonomy :...

 (false saber-tooth cats) endemic to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, and Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 living 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...

 13.6—11.1 mya, existing for approximately .

Taxonomy

Sansanosmilus was named by Kretzoi (1929). bIt was assigned to Hoplophoneinae by Flynn and Galiano (1982); to 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...

 by Carroll (1988); to Barbourofelinae by Bryant (1991); and to Barbourofelidae by Morlo et al. (2004) and Morlo (2006)
It had short legs, was very muscular and had a long tail. Sansanosmilus was 1.5 m long and probably its weight was 80 kg.

Species of Sansanosmilus

• Sansanosmilus jourdani - which lived in Astaracian and Vallesian stage in Spain, Germany and France
• Sansanosmilus jourdani vallesiensis - which lived in Vallesian stage in Spain
• Sansanosmilus palmidens - which lived in Orleanian and Astaracian stage in France and China
• Sansanosmilus vallesiensis (probably Sansanosmilus jourdani vallesiensis) - which lived in Vallesian stage in Spain