Amphimachairodus
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Amphimachairodus Temporal range: Late Miocene 9.5–5.3 Ma |
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| A. giganteus skull. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | †Machairodontinae |
| Tribe: | †Homotherini |
| Genus: |
†Amphimachairodus Kretzoi, 1929 |
| Type species | |
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†Amphimachairodus giganteus Kretzoi, 1929 |
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| Species | |
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Amphimachairodus is an extinct genus of large machairodonts belonging to the clade known as Eumachairodontia (true saberteeth) along with relatives like Smilodon and Homotherium. It is also a member of the tribe Homotherini within Machairodontidae and is most closely related to such species as Xenosmilus, Homotherium itself, and Nimravides. It inhabited Eurasia, Northern Africa and North America during the late Miocene epoch.
There was marked sexual dimorphism in A. giganteus, with males being much larger than females.
A single fossil specimen examined by Legendre and Roth was determined to have an approximate body mass of 201.8 kg. Amphiachairodus kabir was a large species from Central Africa whose size may have weighed 350–490 kg. The species Amphimachairodus coloradensis, from the United States (formerly Machairodus coloradensis) was a significantly large animal, about 1.2 m (3.9 ft) at the shoulder, according to skeletal and life reconstructions, potentially making it one of the largest known felids.. this species is distinguishable from A. giganteus by subtle differences in the shape of its mandible
Amphimachairodus was about 2 metres long and probably hunted as an ambush predator - its legs were too short to sustain a long chase, but it most likely was a good jumper. It probably used its canines to cut open the throat of its prey, severing the major arteries and possibly crushing the windpipe. Its teeth were rooted to its mouth and were not as delicate as those of most other saber-toothed cats of the time, which had extremely long canines that hung out of their mouths. The fangs of Amphimachairodus, however, were able to easily fit in its mouth comfortably while being long enough to be effective for hunting.
This specimen was from a large male A. giganteus with the skull measuring 14 in (36 cm) from the Late Miocene in China. Deformation of the skull through natural fossilization processes has changed the shape slightly, making it asymmetrical, but overall it remains an excellent specimen for studying the cranial morphology of this particular genus and species.
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Wikipedia