Barbourofelis paleoart

Description

Paleoartistic recreation of this extinct feliform from North America between 15 and 7 million years ago.

The sculpture and skull are shown for illustrative purposes.

The reconstructed specimen was about the size of a modern jaguar. They had prominent flanks on their lower jaws and an unusual convex skull. Barburofelids were very muscular and robust animals, similar to a combination between a big cat and a bear.

Although the family of barburofelids evolved into animals very similar to modern cats, these are not their descendants. Species of this genus had the longest canines of all barburofelids, which were also flattened, indicating a high degree of specialization in their diet.

These canines had a longitudinal groove on the lateral surface. This groove was most likely an adaptation to make the canines lighter while maintaining their strength. Other notable features include the presence of a postorbital bar, the presence of a ventrally extended mental process (bony extensions on either side of the lower jaw), and shortening of the skull behind the orbits. It had a very robust build.

Based on the structure of its foot, Barbourofelis species might have had a semi-plantigrade walking posture. Barbourofelis also had large carnassial teeth, intended for efficiently processing a carcass, indicating that it either lived in a highly competitive ecosystem or that it was social and fed in a competitive, frenzied manner to eat as much as other members of its family group. Perhaps a combination of both scenarios was possible.

Bibliographies consulted: Schultz, C. Bertrand; Schultz, Marian R.; Martin, Larry D. (October 1970). “A new tribe of saber-toothed cats (Barbourofelini) from the Pliocene of North America” Turner, Alan (1997). Big cats and their fossil relatives Antón, Mauricio (2013). Sabretooth.