| Nimravides Temporal range: Middle Miocene–Late Miocene |
|
|---|---|
| Nimravides catacopis skull | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Superfamily: | Feloidea |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Felinae |
| Genus: | †Nimravides |
Nimravides was a prehistoric saber-toothed felid that lived in North America during the middle and late Miocene.[1] Despite its scientific name Nimravides does not belong to the Nimravidae, but is a true felid, belonging to the family Felidae.
The earlier species of the genus, like Nimravides pedionomus from Chlaredonian deposits are smaller and more primitive than later forms, like Nimravides catacopsis. The tiger-sized Nimravides catacopsis strongly resembles the primitive Machairodus aphanistus, a species known from the Late Miocene of Eurasia.[2]