''Metailurus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of saber-toothed cat in the family

Felidae Felidae ( ) is the Family (biology), family of mammals in the Order (biology), order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid ( ). The 41 extant taxon, extant Felidae species exhibit the gre ...

, and belonging to the tribe Metailurini, which occurred in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

from the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

to the

Middle Pleistocene The Chibanian, more widely known as the Middle Pleistocene (its previous informal name), is an Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale or a Stage (stratigraphy), stage in chronostratigraphy, being a division of the Pleistocen ...

History and taxonomy

The genus ''Metailurus'' was described by Zdansky in 1924 for the two species ''Metailurus major'' and ''Metailurus minor''. ''Metailurus mongoliensis'' was described in 1939. ''Metailurus boodon'' was described in 1948. ''Metailurus hengduanshanensis'' was described in 1996. ''Metailurus ultimus'' was described in 2014. ''Metailurus minor'' was reassigned to the felid genus '' Yoshi'' in 2015.

Description

The canines of ''Metailurus'' are longer than those of even the clouded leopard, but significantly shorter than true saber teeth, and more conical than bladed. A partial skeleton found in the Turolian site of Kerassia 1 consists of the jawbone, the anterior and posterior limb bone elements, and some sternal bones and some vertebrae. This is the most complete known of the species. Its dental material is comparative to those specimens from Pikermi, Chomateri, and China. The presence of elongated posterior limbs indicate that it had developed jumping skills.

References

External links

Metailurini Miocene felids Pliocene carnivorans Pliocene extinctions Prehistoric carnivoran genera Cenozoic mammals of North America Cenozoic mammals of Africa Neogene mammals of Asia Cenozoic mammals of Europe Fossil taxa described in 1924 {{feline-stub