| Rhizosmilodon Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fossil specimens | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | †Machairodontinae |
| Tribe: | †Smilodontini |
| Genus: | †Rhizosmilodon Wallace & Hulbert, 2013 |
| Type species | |
| Rhizosmilodon fiteae Wallace & Hulbert, 2013 | |
Rhizosmilodon is an extinct genus of saber-tooth cat of the subfamily Machairodontinae that lived during the Early Pliocene and was discovered in the U.S. state of Florida.[1] Comparable in size to a medium-sized modern jaguar at about 165 lb. in weight, fossils of Rhizosmilodon are known only from Florida. The best specimens for this species are its lower jaw and teeth, which carry intermediate characteristics between advanced forms such as Smilodon and primitive forms such as Paramachairodus. It was likely an ambush predator, preying on animals such as deer, tapirs and horses.[2]
Phylogeny
Phylogenetic relationships of Rhizosmilodon with other Machairodonts based on analysis of 37 cranio-mandibular characters.[1]
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References
- 1 2 Wallace, S. C.; Hulbert, R. C. (2013). Larson, Greger (ed.). "A New Machairodont from the Palmetto Fauna (Early Pliocene) of Florida, with Comments on the Origin of the Smilodontini (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae)". PLOS ONE. 8 (3): e56173. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056173. PMC 3596359. PMID 23516394.
- ↑ "Rhizosmilodon fiteae". 31 March 2017.
| Homotherini |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Metailurini | ||
| Smilodontini | ||
| Incertae sedis: | ||