Proailurus
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| Proailurus Fossil range: Late Oligocene to Early Miocene |
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Proailurus was a prehistoric carnivore that lived in Europe and Asia approximately 25 million years ago in the late Oligocene and Late Miocene. A recent phylogeny[1] places it as a basal feloid, the superfamily that includes mongooses, civets, hyenas, and cats; however, some sources show it as a felid and a direct ancestor of cats.[2] Proailurus was a compact and small animal, just a little larger than the domestic cat, weighing about a slender 20 lb (9 kg). It had a long tail, large eyes and sharp claws and teeth, with similar proportions to the modern viverrids. Like the vivverids, it was probably a tree-dweller.[3].
[edit] References
- ^ Wesley-Hunt, Gina D.; Flynn, John J. (2005). "Phylogeny of the Carnivora: basal relationships among the Carnivoramorphans, and assessment of the position of ‘Miacoidea’ relative to Carnivora". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 3: 1-28. doi:.
- ^ Tom Rothwell: Phylogenetic Systematics of North American Pseudaelurus (Carnivora: Felidae). American Museum Novitates. Published by the American Museum of Natural History, New York,Number 2403, pp. 1-64, May 2003. online
- ^ Turner, Alan (1997). The Big Cats and their fossil relatives. New York: Columbia University Press, 25. ISBN 0-231-10228-3.
