HOPLOPHONEUS
@35 MYA - @ 25MYA
SPECIES:
Hoplophoneus mentalis, Hoplophoneus occidentalis, Hoplophoneus sicarius, Hoplophoneus dakotensis, Hoplophoneus primaevus
MUSEUMS DISPLAYING SPECIMENS:
UNITED STATES
The Los Angeles County Museum: mounted skeleton
The National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC: mounted skeleton
The American Museum of Natural history, New York, New York: mounted skeleton
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One of the earliest ancestors of the cat family, the Felidae, Hoplophoneus was a member of the family Nimravidae. Originating roughly 55 MYA, this family would eventually give rise to not only the Felidae, but also the Hyaenidae (hyenas), the Viverridae (civets), and the Herpestidae (mongooses). |
Although similar to cats in outward appearance, the Nimravidae were not true cats. The difference between the Nimravidae and the Felidae is in the structure of the bones which contain the small bones of the inner ear: the incus, malleus, and stapes. In the true cats, these bones are housed in an external structure termed an 'auditory bulla'. This bulla is in turn separated by a structure known as a 'septum' into two separate chambers. In the Nimravidae, there is no trace of this auditory bulla, indicating a structure made of cartridge once housed the bones of the inner ear.
Hoplophoneus species were about the size of a small leopard, and share structural similarities with the Smilodon species. The body was robust with shorter legs, and Hoplophoneus had similar saber teeth.
Sources:
1.The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives. Alan Turner. Columbia University Press, New York. 1997.
