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The Nimravidae, sometimes known as false sabre-tooths, are an extinct family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 of mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
ian carnivores
Carnivora

The diverse Order Carnivora includes over 260 species of eutheria mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal....
. Although some nimravids physically resembled the sabre-toothed cat
Saber-toothed cat

The terms sabre-toothed cat, sabretooth, and sabre-toothed tiger describe numerous species, mainly in the families Felidae , Barbourofelidae, and Nimravidae, but also including two marsupial families, that lived during various parts of the Cenozoic Era and evolved their sabre-toothed characteristics entirely independently....
s of genus Smilodon
Smilodon

Smilodon , sometimes called sabre-toothed cat, is an extinction genus of large Machairodontinae saber-toothed cats that lived between approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago in North America and South America....
, they were not closely related, but evolved
Evolution

In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
 a similar form through parallel evolution
Parallel evolution

Parallel evolution is the independent evolution of similar traits, starting from a similar ancestral condition due to similar environments or other evolutionary pressures....
.

Previously classified as a subfamily of Nimravidae, the barbourofelids have been recently reassigned to their own distinct family Barbourofelidae
Barbourofelidae

Barbourofelidae is an extinct family of mammalian Carnivora. Previously placed as a subfamily of the extinct Nimravidae, the barbourofelids have been recently assigned to their own distinct family, and are now thought to be taxonomically closer to the Felidae than to the Nimravidae....
 (Morlo et al 2004).

The ancestors of nimravids and felids diverged from their common ancestor, from the Caniformia
Caniformia

Caniformia, or Canoidea are a suborder within the order Carnivora. They typically possess a long snout and non-retractile claws . The Pinnipedia evolved from caniform ancestors and are accordingly assigned to this group....
-Feliformia
Feliformia

The Feliformia are a suborder within the order Carnivora and includes the 'true-cats' , hyenas, mongooses, civets and related taxa. The other suborder of Carnivora is Caniformia ....
 split, in the middle Eocene
Eocene

The Eocene Geologic time scale is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in the Cenozoic era....
 about 50 million years ago (mya
Mya (unit)

In astronomy, geology, and paleontology, mya or "m.y.a." is an abbreviation for "million years ago". Like the related unit bya, mya is traditionally written in lower case....
), with a minimum constraint of 43 mya.






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The Nimravidae, sometimes known as false sabre-tooths, are an extinct family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 of mammal
Mammal

Mammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose name is derived from their distinctive feature, mammary glands, with which they feed their young....
ian carnivores
Carnivora

The diverse Order Carnivora includes over 260 species of eutheria mammals. Its members are formally referred to as carnivorans, while the word "carnivore" can refer to any meat-eating animal....
. Although some nimravids physically resembled the sabre-toothed cat
Saber-toothed cat

The terms sabre-toothed cat, sabretooth, and sabre-toothed tiger describe numerous species, mainly in the families Felidae , Barbourofelidae, and Nimravidae, but also including two marsupial families, that lived during various parts of the Cenozoic Era and evolved their sabre-toothed characteristics entirely independently....
s of genus Smilodon
Smilodon

Smilodon , sometimes called sabre-toothed cat, is an extinction genus of large Machairodontinae saber-toothed cats that lived between approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago in North America and South America....
, they were not closely related, but evolved
Evolution

In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
 a similar form through parallel evolution
Parallel evolution

Parallel evolution is the independent evolution of similar traits, starting from a similar ancestral condition due to similar environments or other evolutionary pressures....
.

Previously classified as a subfamily of Nimravidae, the barbourofelids have been recently reassigned to their own distinct family Barbourofelidae
Barbourofelidae

Barbourofelidae is an extinct family of mammalian Carnivora. Previously placed as a subfamily of the extinct Nimravidae, the barbourofelids have been recently assigned to their own distinct family, and are now thought to be taxonomically closer to the Felidae than to the Nimravidae....
 (Morlo et al 2004).

The ancestors of nimravids and felids diverged from their common ancestor, from the Caniformia
Caniformia

Caniformia, or Canoidea are a suborder within the order Carnivora. They typically possess a long snout and non-retractile claws . The Pinnipedia evolved from caniform ancestors and are accordingly assigned to this group....
-Feliformia
Feliformia

The Feliformia are a suborder within the order Carnivora and includes the 'true-cats' , hyenas, mongooses, civets and related taxa. The other suborder of Carnivora is Caniformia ....
 split, in the middle Eocene
Eocene

The Eocene Geologic time scale is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in the Cenozoic era....
 about 50 million years ago (mya
Mya (unit)

In astronomy, geology, and paleontology, mya or "m.y.a." is an abbreviation for "million years ago". Like the related unit bya, mya is traditionally written in lower case....
), with a minimum constraint of 43 mya. Recognizable nimravid fossil
Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or trace fossil of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous Rock formations and sedimentary rock layers is known as the fossil record....
s date from the late Eocene (37 mya), from the Chadronian White River Formation at Flagstaff Rim, Wyoming, to the late Miocene
Miocene

The Miocene is a Geologic time scale of the Neogene period and extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 million years before the present. As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the start and end are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are uncertain....
 (5 mya). Nimravid diversity appears to have peaked about 28 mya. Most had muscular, low-slung, catlike bodies, with shorter legs and tails than typical of cats.

Nimravids are placed in tribes by some authors to reflect closer relationships in genera within the family. Some nimravids did evolve into large toothed cat-like forms with massive flattened upper canines and accompanying mandibular flanges. Others had dentition similar to felids
Felidae

Felidae is the family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. Felids are the most strictly Carnivore of the sixteen mammal families in the order Carnivora....
, or modern cats, with smaller canines. Others had moderately increased canines in a more intermediate relationship between the saber-toothed cat
Saber-toothed cat

The terms sabre-toothed cat, sabretooth, and sabre-toothed tiger describe numerous species, mainly in the families Felidae , Barbourofelidae, and Nimravidae, but also including two marsupial families, that lived during various parts of the Cenozoic Era and evolved their sabre-toothed characteristics entirely independently....
s and felids. The upper canines were not only shorter, but also more conical, than those of the true saber-toothed cats. These are referred to as being False sabre-tooths.

Not only did nimravids exhibit diverse dentition but they also showed the same diversity in size and morphology as felids. Some were leopard
Leopard

The leopard is a member of the Felidae biological family and the smallest of the four "Panthera" in the genus Panthera; the other three are the tiger, lion and jaguar....
-sized, others the size of today's lion
Lion

The lion is a member of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. With exceptionally large males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger....
s and tiger
Tiger

The tiger is a member of the Felidae family; the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera. Native to much of eastern and southern Asia, the tiger is an apex predator and an Carnivore#Obligate carnivores....
s, and one had the short face, rounded skull and smaller canines of the modern cheetah
Cheetah

The cheetah is an atypical member of the cat family that is unique in its speed, while lacking climbing abilities. Therefore it is placed in its own genus, Acinonyx....
.

Classification

  • Family: Nimravidae
    • Subfamily Nimravinae
      • Genus: Dinictis
        Dinictis

        Dinictis was a member of the Nimravid family, also known as "false saber-toothed cats". It had a sleek body long, short legs high with only incompletely retractable claws, powerful jaws, and a long tail....
        • Dinictis cyclops
        • Dinictis felina
        • Dinictis priseus
        • Dinictis squalidens
      • Genus: Dinaelurus
        Dinaelurus

        Dinaelurus was a nimravid cat-like carnivore that lived during the late Eocene to the late Miocene age. It is believed that Dinaelurus was a cursorial predator meaning it ran down its prey....
        • Dinaelurus crassus
      • Genus: Dinailurictis
        Dinailurictis

        Dinailurictis is a member of Nimravidae family "false sabre tooths" , belonging to subfamily Nimravinae. Dinailurictis lived during Late Oligocene in Europe....
        • Dinailurictis bonali
      • Genus: Eofelis
      • Genus: Nimravus
        Nimravus

        Nimravus is an extinct genus of sabertoothed, predatory Feliformia mammals related to Felidae. Its name is a reference to the Biblical character Nimrod , as the generic name Nimravus is a compound word composed of "Nimrod" and "Avus ," thus translating as "Ancestor of Nimrod."...
        • Nimravus altidens
        • Nimravus brachyops
        • Nimravus edwardsi
        • Nimravus gomphodus
        • Nimravus intermedius
        • Nimravus sectator
      • Genus: Pogonodon
        Pogonodon

        Pogonodon was a genus of saber-toothed cats belonging to the Nimravidae, an extinct carnivoran family that strongly resembled the modern Felidae in overall appearance....
        • Pogonodon davisi
        • Pogonodon platycopis
      • Genus: Quercylurus
        Quercylurus

        Quercylurus is a genus of a Nimravidae family "false sabre-tooths" belonging to subfamily Nimravinae, which lived during Late Oligocene in Europe....
        • Quercylurus major
    • Subfamily Hoplophoninae
      • Genus: Eusmilis
        • Eusmilis bidentatus
        • Eusmilis cerebralis
        • Eusmilis sicarius
      • Genus: Hoplophoneus
        Hoplophoneus

        Hoplophoneus is an extinct genus of mammal that is often referred to as a Saber-toothed cat. Actually they are false saber-toothed cats belonging to the family Nimravidae, which originated roughly 55 million years ago....
        Holophoneusskull1
        **** Hoplophoneus belli
        • Hoplophoneus dakotensis
        • Hoplophoneus occidentalis
        • Hoplophoneus latidens
        • Hoplophoneus mentalis
        • Hoplophoneus primaevus
        • Hoplophoneus robustus