Xenosmilus

Taxobox
name = "Xenosmilus"
status = Fossil
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Felidae
subfamilia = Machairodontinae
tribus = Machairodontini
genus = "Xenosmilus"
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "Xenosmilus hodsonae"

"Xenosmilus" (from Greek, polytonic|ξένος, "xenos", "strange" + polytonic|σμίλη, "smilē", "chisel" ) is a genus of extinct Machairodontinae, or saber-toothed cat. Two fairly intact specimens were found by amateur fossil hunters, in 1983 (1981 by some sources) in the Haile limestone mines in Alachua County, Florida. In 1994 the fossils were examined, and it was decided that the cats were of an entirely new genus, which was placed under the tribe Homotheriini. They lived about 1 million years ago, but as there are only two specimens of the same age, when they appeared and when they became extinct is unclear. Currently, there is only one species known, "Xenosmilus hodsonae".

Physically, the cats stood about as tall as a modern lion (around 2 m in length), with a highly muscular body, around 180-230 kg in mass. Interestingly, before their discovery, all known saber-toothed cats fell into two general categories. Dirk toothed cats had long upper canines and stout legs. Scimitar toothed cats had only mildly elongated canines, and long legs. "Xenosmilus" broke these groupings by possessing both stout muscular legs and body, and short broad upper canines.

Found alongside the two skeletons were dozens of peccary bones. It seems likely, with their muscular builds, that "X. hodsonae" preyed upon the wild pigs.

External links

* [http://www.messybeast.com/cat-prehistory.htm Prehistoric cats and prehistoric cat-like creatures]
* [http://www.niu.edu/pubaffairs/NT/1999/march22/saber.html Xenosmilus at the Northern Illinois University website]