| Nimravidae | |
|---|---|
 Hoplophoneus primaevus skeleton | |
| Scientific Classification | |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | †Nimravidae |
The Nimravidae family, sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats, is an extinct family of the mammalian order Carnivora that was endemic to North America, Europe, and Asia. Fossils have been dated from the Middle Eocene through the Early Miocene epochs, spanning approximately 20.2 million years.
Characteristics[]
Most nimravids had muscular, low-slung, catlike bodies, with shorter legs and tails than are typical of cats. The middle ear of true cats is housed in an external structure called an auditory bulla, which separated by a septum into two chambers. Nimravid remains show ossified bullae with no septum, or no trace at all of the entire bulla. It is assumed they had a cartilaginous housing of the ear mechanism.
History[]
In the Miocene, the fossil record suggests that many animals suited for forest or woodland were replaced by grazers suited for living in grasslands, so evidently much of North America and Asia became dominated by savanna. Nimravids disappeared along with the woodlands, but survived in relictual humid forests in Europe to the late Miocene. When conditions ultimately changed there in the late Miocene, the last nimravids disappeared about 9 mya ago.
Genera[]
Subfamily Nimravinae
Genus Dinictis D. cyclops D. felina D. priseus D. squalidens Genus Dinaelurus D. crassus Genus Dinailurictis Genus Eofelis E. edwardsii E. giganteus Genus Nimravus N. altidens N. brachyops N. edwardsi N. gomphodus N. intermedius N. sectator Genus Pogonodon P. eileenae P. platycopis Genus Quercylurus Q. major
Subfamily Hoplophoninae
Genus Eusmilus E. cerebralis Genus Hoplophoneus H. dakotensis H. kurteni H. mentalis H. occidentalis H. primaevus H. sicarius
