Dinaelurus Temporal range:
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | † Nimravidae |
Subfamily: | † Nimravinae |
Genus: | †
Dinaelurus Eaton, 1922 |
Species: | †D. crassus
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Binomial name | |
†Dinaelurus crassus Eaton, 1922
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Dinaelurus is a genus of the Nimravidae, an extinct family of feliform mammalian carnivores, also known as "false saber-toothed cats". Assigned to the subfamily Nimravinae, Dinaelurus was endemic to North America during the Oligocene epoch (30.8—20.6 mya), existing for approximately 10.2 million years. [1]
Dinaelurus was named by George Francis Eaton in 1922, with a single species, Dinaelurus crassus. It was assigned to Nimravinae by Flynn and Galiano in 1982. [2] [3] One specimen was found in the John Day Formation in Oregon.
Dinaelurus had a skull extremely broad for its length and had conical teeth; it exhibited little or no development of sabertooth features and had more rounded cheek teeth with no serrated ridges. It had a relatively gracile skeleton [4] and may have had digitigrade feet. [5] It is believed that Dinaelurus was a cursorial predator that ran down its prey. This is suggested by the nimravid's short face [4] and large nostrils, similar to those of a cheetah, which is also a cursorial predator. [5]