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Rhizosmilodon

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Rhizosmilodon
Temporal range: Late Miocene to Early Pliocene, 5.3–4.5 Ma
Fossil specimens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Machairodontinae
Tribe: Smilodontini
Genus: Rhizosmilodon
Wallace & Hulbert, 2013
Type species
Rhizosmilodon fiteae
Wallace & Hulbert, 2013

Rhizosmilodon is an extinct genus of saber-tooth cat of the subfamily Machairodontinae that lived during the Early Pliocene and was discovered in the U.S. state of Florida.[1] Comparable in size to a medium-sized modern jaguar at about 165 lb. in weight, fossils of Rhizosmilodon are known only from Florida. The best specimens for this species are its lower jaw, a single skull, and teeth, which carry intermediate characteristics between advanced forms such as Smilodon and primitive forms such as Paramachairodus. It was likely an ambush predator, preying on animals such as deer, tapirs and horses.[2]

Phylogeny

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Phylogenetic relationships of Rhizosmilodon with other Machairodonts based on analysis of 37 cranio-mandibular characters.[1]

 

Proailurus lemanensis

Machairodontinae

Promegantereon ogygia

Paramachaerodus

Paramachaerodus orientalis

Paramachaerodus maximiliani

Smilodontini

Rhizosmilodon fiteae

Smilodon

Smilodon gracilis

Smilodon fatalis

Smilodon populator

Megantereon

Megantereon cultridens

Megantereon hesperus

Machairodontini
Machairodus

Machairodus aphanistus

Machairodus coloradensis

Homotherium serum

(=Homotherini)

References

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  1. ^ a b Wallace, S. C.; Hulbert, R. C. (2013). Larson, Greger (ed.). "A New Machairodont from the Palmetto Fauna (Early Pliocene) of Florida, with Comments on the Origin of the Smilodontini (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae)". PLOS ONE. 8 (3): e56173. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056173. PMC 3596359. PMID 23516394.
  2. ^ "Rhizosmilodon fiteae". 31 March 2017.