''Dinailurictis'' was an extinct nimravid

carnivora Carnivora ( ) is an order of placental mammals specialized primarily in eating flesh, whose members are formally referred to as carnivorans. The order Carnivora is the sixth largest order of mammals, comprising at least 279 species. Carnivor ...

n (or "false sabre-toothed cat") belonging to the subfamily

Nimravinae The Nimravinae are a subfamily of the Nimravidae, an extinct family of feliform mammalian carnivores sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats. They were found in North America, Europe, and Asia from the Middle Eocene through the Late Oligoc ...

. It was named in 1922, with subsequent material being recovered from Early to Late

Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...

deposits across

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Taxonomy

There is only one known species classified within the genus, ''Dinailurictis bonali''. Initial remains from La Tuque, France consisted of a left, upper canine noticeably larger than '' Eofelis'', '' Nimravus'', and ''

Eusmilus ''Eusmilus'' ('true sabre') is a prehistoric genus of Nimravidae, nimravid that lived in Europe and North America during the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene epochs (34.7–29.5 Annum, mya). Taxonomy There are three valid species of ''Eusmilus' ...

''. Subsequent remains consisting of limb bones and additional teeth have since been found. ''Dinailurictis'' does resemble and was related to '' Nimravus'' as members of the

subfamily, but do the two genera differ in several anatomical traits. Skeletal morphology aligns ''Dinailurictis'' closer with the somewhat larger genus, '' Quercylurus''. Systematic review conducted in 2003 found ''Quercylus major'' and ''Dinailurictis bonali'' to be extremely similar to one another, with the larger size of the former being the major difference.

Description

''Dinailurictis'' was one of the larger nimravids of its time, with individuals weighing . Having had a sleek body like

caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

, with its back being elongated and having feet more resembling basal

Feliformia Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including Felidae, cats (large and small), hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, ...

members like civets, with partially retractable claws. ''Dinailurictis'' was likely a generalist predator, hunting both small game whilst being capable of hunting larger ungulates. It likely was an ambush predator as the medial lip of the trochlea is less projecting than in modern large cats, with a projected lip affixing the elbow joint. These traits potentially indicate ''Dinailurictis'' was less cursorial in respect to cranio-caudal movements. Its canine fangs were more conical in shape than some of more derived sabre-toothed condition of more derived

Nimravidae Nimravidae is an extinct family (biology), family of carnivorans, sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats, whose fossils are found in North America and Eurasia. Not considered to belong to the true cats (family Felidae), the nimravids are gen ...

genera, but were still scimitar-like in shape.

Paleoecology

Within Quercy Phosporites of France, ''Dinailurictis'' coexisted with mammals such as the closely related, '' Quercylurus major'', anthracotheriine '' Anthracotherium monsvialense'', and lophiomerycidae '' Lophiomeryx mouchelini''.PaleoBiology Database: Quercy Phosporites
/ref>

References

Nimravidae Oligocene feliforms Oligocene mammals of Europe Paleogene France Fossils of France Quercy Phosphorites Formation Monotypic prehistoric carnivoran genera {{paleo-carnivora-stub