Dinictis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
iDinictis | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
Dinictis cyclops |
Dinictis was a member of the Nimravid family, also known as "false saber-toothed cats". It had a sleek body, short legs, powerful jaws, and a long tail. It was very similar to its close relative, Hoplophoneus. Dinictis walked plantigrade (flat-footed), unlike modern cats. It lived in the plains of North America around 40 million years ago in the late Eocene and early Oligocene. Fossils were found in Saskatchewan in Canada, and Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, and Oregon in the United States.