Paramachairodus

Taxobox
name = "Paramachairodus"
fossil_range = Middle to Late Miocene
status = Fossil
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Felidae
subfamilia = †Machairodontinae
genus = †"Paramachairodus"
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision =
*†"Paramachairodus ogygia"
*†"Paramachairodus orientalis"

Paramachairodus is one of the oldest known true saber-toothed cats (Machairodontinae). A large number of fossils were discovered in Cerro Batallones, a Late Miocene fossil site near Madrid, Spain. Two leopard-sized species are known, "Paramachairodus ogygia" from Vallesian to early Turolian age and "Paramachairodus orientalis" from the Turolian. A third species "Paramachairodus maximiliani", is considered a synonym of "Paramachairodus orientalis" by most authors [MANUEL J. SALESA, MAURICIO ANTÓN, ALAN TURNER and JORGE MORALES: "Aspects of the functional morphology in the cranial and cervical skeleton of the sabre-toothed cat "Paramachairodus ogygia" (Kaup, 1832) (Felidae, Machairodontinae) from the Late Miocene of Spain: implications for the origins of the machairodont killing bite". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Volume 144 Issue 3 Page 363-377, July 2005.] .

The animal was about 58 cm high at the shoulder, similar to a leopard, but with a more supple body. The shape of its limbs suggests that it may have been an agile climber, and could have hunted relatively large prey. [cite book |last=Turner |first=Alan |year=1997 |title= The Big Cats and their fossil relatives|publisher= Columbia University Press|location=New York|pages= 60|isbn= 0-231-10228-3]

References

External links

* [http://www.bluelion.org/paramachairodus.htm Paramachairodus at the bluelion.org]