Barbourofelis
genus of mammals in the order Carnivora (fossil) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barbourofelis is an extinct genus of large, carnivorous, mammals. They were a type of saber-toothed cat.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Type species ...
Barbourofelis | |
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B. loveorum , Florida Museum of Natural History Fossil Hall at the University of Florida | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | †Barbourofelidae |
Genus: | †Barbourofelis Schultz, Schultz & Martin, 1970 |
Type species | |
Barbourofelis fricki Schultz, Schultz & Martin, 1970 | |
Species | |
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The genus was found in North America during the Miocene to Pleistocene. They lived from 13.6 – 5.3 million years ago (mya), which is about 8.3 million years.[1]
Its flattened saber teeth were protected by a bony flange from the lower jaw. It was a saber-toothed cat, but it was not a close relative of cats such as Smilodon.[2]
Barbourofelis has been difficult to classify. It was put in the Nimravidae by Schultz (1970) and Martin (1998).