Prosansanosmilus
| Prosansanosmilus Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Prosansanosmilus mandible | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | †Barbourofelidae |
| Tribe: | †Afrosmilini |
| Genus: | †Prosansanosmilus Heizmann, Ginsburg, & Bulot, 1980 |
| Type species | |
| Prosansanosmilus peregrinus Heizmann, Ginsburg, & Bulot, 1980
| |
| Other Species | |
| |
Prosansanosmilus is an extinct genus of barbourofelid that lived in Europe during the Late Miocene epoch (16.9—7.246 mya), existing for approximately 9.654 million years.[1] It contains Prosansanosmilus peregrinus, which died out in the Miocene epoch.
Taxonomy[edit]
Prosansanosmilus was named in 1980 by Heizmann et al. with the type species Prosansanosmilus peregrinus.[2] It was assigned to Nimravinae by Heizmann et al. (1980); to Felidae by Carroll (1988); to Barbourofelinae by Bryant (1991); and to Barbourofelidae by Morlo et al. (2004) and Morlo (2006).
A second species, P. eggeri from the Middle Miocene locality of Sandelzhausen, Germany, was described in 2004. It differed from other European barbourofelids in having a more plesiomorphic ("ancestral") morphology, with less developed sabretooth adaptations and being smaller. However, the species is stratigraphically younger than P. peregrinus; and probably part of the African faunal immigration into Europe during the Middle Eocene.[3]
Distribution[edit]
P. peregrinus lived in MN4 of France and Germany.[3] Two fossils of P. peregrinus have been found in France and another two have been found in Germany. P. peregrinus was a ground-dwelling creature.[2]
Morphology[edit]
Like all barbourofelids, Prosansanosmilus was very muscular, short legged and probably walked plantigrade (flat-footed). There are only two species of Prosansanosmilus, which lived in Spain, France and Germany during the Late Miocene epoch.
Time range[edit]
P. peregrinus is thought to have lived between 16.9 and 16 Mya. New evidence suggests that P. peregrinus lived 20–16 Mya. German scientists excavated a fossil of P. peregrinus dating 20 Mya. Other scientists think that P. peregrinus lived between 16.9 and 15.7 Mya.
References[edit]
- ^ Prosansanosmilus in the Paleobiology Database
- ^ a b Heizmann, E. P. J.; Ginsburg, L.; Bulot, C. (1980). "Prosansanosmilus peregrinus, ein neuer machairodontider Felide aus dem Miocän Deutschlands und Frankreichs" [Prosansanosmilus peregrinus, a new machairodontid felid from the Miocene of Germany and France]. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Ser. B. (in German). 58: 1–27.
- ^ a b Morlo, Michael; Peigné, Stéphane; Nagel, Doris (2004). "A new species of Prosansanosmilus: implications for the systematic relationships of the family Barbourofelidae new rank (Carnivora, Mammalia)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 140 (1): 43–61. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00087.x.
 | This article related to prehistoric animals from order Carnivora is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |