Barbourofelidae

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Barbourofelidae

Fossil

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Barborofelidae

Previously placed as a subfamily of Nimravidae, the Barbourofelinae have been recently assigned to their own distinct family, Barbourofelidae, now thought to be taxonomically closer to the Felidae than to the Nimravidae.

Barbourofelidae first appears in the fossil record in the early Miocene of Africa. By the end of the early Miocene a land bridge had opened between Africa and Eurasia, allowing for a faunal exchange between the two continent. Barbourofelids migrated through Eurasia, reaching North America by the late Miocene, represented there by the genus Barbourofelis.

[edit] Classification

Family Barbourofelidae
- Genus Prosansanosmilus
  - Prosansanosmilus peregrinus
  - Prosansanosmilus eggeri
- Genus Sansanosmilus
  - Sansanosmilus palmidens
- Genus Albanosmilus
  - Albanosmilus jourdani
  - Albanosmilus jourdani jourdani
  - Albanosmilus jourdani andresi
- Genus Vampyrictis
  - Vampyrictis vipera
- Genus Barbourofelis
  - Barbourofelis whitfordi
  - Barbourofelis vallesiensis
  - Barbourofelis lovei
  - Barbourofelis morrisi
  - Barbourofelis piveteaui
  - Barbourofelis fricki

[edit] References

MICHAEL MORLO, STÉPHANE PEIGNÉ and DORIS NAGEL (January 2004). "A new species of Prosansanosmilus: implications for the systematic relationships of the family Barbourofelidae new rank (Carnivora, Mammalia)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 140 (1): 43. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00087.x.
Lars W. van den Hoek Ostende, Michael Morlo & Doris Nagel. "Fossils explained 52 Majestic killers: the sabre-toothed cats". Geology Today 22 (4): 150.