Megantereon
Encyclopedia
Megantereon was an ancient machairodontine
saber-toothed cat
that lived in North America
, Eurasia
, and Africa
. It may be the ancestor of Smilodon
.
, Eurasia
, and North America
. The oldest confirmed records of Megantereon are known from the Pliocene
of North America and are dated to about 4.5 Million years. About 3-3.5 Million years ago it is firmly recorded also from Africa, about 2.5 to 2 Million years ago also from Asia. In Europe the oldest remains are known from Les Etouaries (France), a site which is now dated to less than 2.5 Million years old. Therefore a North American origin of Megantereon has been suggested. However, recent findings of fragmentary fossils from Kenya and Chad, which are dated to about 5.7 and 7 Million years, respectively, are probably from Megantereon. If these identifications are right, they would represent the oldest Megantereon fossils in the world. The new findings therefore indicate an origin of Megantereon in the Late Miocene
of Africa.
At the end of the Pliocene it evolved into the larger Smilodon in North America, while it survived in the Old World until the middle Pleistocene. The youngest remains of Megantereon from east Africa are about 1.5 million years old. In southern Africa the genus is recorded from Elandsfontein, a site dated to around 700,000-400,000 years old. Remains from Untermaßfeld
show that Megantereon lived until 900,000 years ago in Europe. In Asia it may have survived until 500,000 years ago, as it is recorded together with Homo erectus
at the famous site of Zho-Khou-Dien in China
. The only full skeleton
was found in Senéze, France
.
or somewhat heavier. It had stocky forelimbs with the lower half of these forelimbs lion-sized. It had large neck muscles designed to deliver a powerful shearing bite. The elongated upper canines were protected by flanges at the mandible. Mauricio Anton's reconstruction in The big cats and their fossil relatives depicts the full specimen found at Seneze in France as 72 centimetres (28.3 in) at the shoulder. The largest specimens with an estimated body weight of 90 – (average 120 kilogram) are known from India. Medium sized species of Megantereon are known from other parts of Eurasia and the Pliocene of North America. The smallest species from Africa and the lower Pleistocene of Europe have been estimated to only 60 –. However, other sources estimated Megantereon from the European lower Pleistocene at 100 –.
is famed for are not strong enough to leave buried inside a struggling prey animal: the teeth would break off. It is possible that they bit their prey and then allowed it to bleed to death, but then they would have to protect that animal from other predators and thus their tactic for killing remains uncertain. It is now generally thought that Megantereon, like other saber-toothed cats, used its long saber teeth to deliver a killing throat bite, severing most of the major nerves and blood vessels. While the teeth would still risk damage, the prey animal would be killed quickly enough that any struggles would be feeble at best.
Some researchers have argued that three species should be distinguished: M. cultridens from North America, Asia (except the Indian subcontinent) and the European Pliocene, M. whitei from Africa and the European Lower Pleistocene and M. falconeri from India. Therefore, the true number of species may be less than the full list of described species reproduced below.
.
Machairodontinae
Machairodontinae is an extinct carnivoran mammal subfamily of Felidae endemic to Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Europe from the Miocene to Pleistocene living from c. 23 Ma until c...
saber-toothed cat
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 ,...
that lived in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. It may be the ancestor of Smilodon
Smilodon
Smilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
.
Fossil range
Fossil fragments have been found in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The oldest confirmed records of Megantereon are known from the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
of North America and are dated to about 4.5 Million years. About 3-3.5 Million years ago it is firmly recorded also from Africa, about 2.5 to 2 Million years ago also from Asia. In Europe the oldest remains are known from Les Etouaries (France), a site which is now dated to less than 2.5 Million years old. Therefore a North American origin of Megantereon has been suggested. However, recent findings of fragmentary fossils from Kenya and Chad, which are dated to about 5.7 and 7 Million years, respectively, are probably from Megantereon. If these identifications are right, they would represent the oldest Megantereon fossils in the world. The new findings therefore indicate an origin of Megantereon in the 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...
of Africa.
At the end of the Pliocene it evolved into the larger Smilodon in North America, while it survived in the Old World until the middle Pleistocene. The youngest remains of Megantereon from east Africa are about 1.5 million years old. In southern Africa the genus is recorded from Elandsfontein, a site dated to around 700,000-400,000 years old. Remains from Untermaßfeld
Untermaßfeld
Untermaßfeld is a municipality in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany....
show that Megantereon lived until 900,000 years ago in Europe. In Asia it may have survived until 500,000 years ago, as it is recorded together with Homo erectus
Homo erectus
Homo erectus is an extinct species of hominid that lived from the end of the Pliocene epoch to the later Pleistocene, about . The species originated in Africa and spread as far as India, China and Java. There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
at the famous site of Zho-Khou-Dien in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The only full skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
was found in Senéze, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Morphology
Megantereon was built like a modern jaguarJaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
or somewhat heavier. It had stocky forelimbs with the lower half of these forelimbs lion-sized. It had large neck muscles designed to deliver a powerful shearing bite. The elongated upper canines were protected by flanges at the mandible. Mauricio Anton's reconstruction in The big cats and their fossil relatives depicts the full specimen found at Seneze in France as 72 centimetres (28.3 in) at the shoulder. The largest specimens with an estimated body weight of 90 – (average 120 kilogram) are known from India. Medium sized species of Megantereon are known from other parts of Eurasia and the Pliocene of North America. The smallest species from Africa and the lower Pleistocene of Europe have been estimated to only 60 –. However, other sources estimated Megantereon from the European lower Pleistocene at 100 –.
Hunting technique
In Europe, Megantereon may have preyed on larger artiodactyls, horses or the young of rhinos and elephants. It is unlikely that Megantereon simply bit its prey as the long, sabre-teeth that SmilodonSmilodon
Smilodon , often called a saber-toothed cat or saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This saber-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch .-Etymology:The nickname "saber-tooth" refers...
is famed for are not strong enough to leave buried inside a struggling prey animal: the teeth would break off. It is possible that they bit their prey and then allowed it to bleed to death, but then they would have to protect that animal from other predators and thus their tactic for killing remains uncertain. It is now generally thought that Megantereon, like other saber-toothed cats, used its long saber teeth to deliver a killing throat bite, severing most of the major nerves and blood vessels. While the teeth would still risk damage, the prey animal would be killed quickly enough that any struggles would be feeble at best.
Species
The number of species is unclear, with some known from only fragmentary evidence.Some researchers have argued that three species should be distinguished: M. cultridens from North America, Asia (except the Indian subcontinent) and the European Pliocene, M. whitei from Africa and the European Lower Pleistocene and M. falconeri from India. Therefore, the true number of species may be less than the full list of described species reproduced below.
- Megantereon cultridens (Cuvier, 1824)
- Megantereon ekidoit Werdelin & Lewis, 2000
- Megantereon eurynodon Ewer, 1955
- Megantereon falconeri Pomel, 1853
- Megantereon gracilis Broom & Schepers, 1946
- Megantereon hesperus (Gazin, 1933)
- Megantereon inexpectatus Teilhard de Chardin, 1939
- Megantereon megantereon Croizet & Jobert, 1828
- Megantereon nihowanensis Teilhard de Chardin & Piveteau, 1930
- Megantereon spiryleris (?)
- Megantereon vakhshensis (?)
- Megantereon whitei Broom, 1937
Popular culture
Megantereon was depicted in a Discovery Channel TV Series, Before We Ruled the Earth, as a nocturnal hunter that preyed on Homo ergasterHomo ergaster
Homo ergaster is an extinct chronospecies of Homo that lived in eastern and southern Africa during the early Pleistocene, about 2.5–1.7 million years ago.There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
.
Literature
- A. Turner: The big cats and their fossil relatives. Columbia University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-231-10229-1
- Jordi Augusti: Mammoths, Sabertooths and Hominids 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe. Columbia University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-231-11640-3
- D. Mol / W. v. Logchem / K. v. Hooijdonk / R. Bakker: The Saber-Toothed Cat, DrukWare, Norg 2008, ISBN 978-90-78707-04-2