Rhizosmilodon

Rhizosmilodon is an extinct genus of saber-tooth cat of the subfamily Machairodontinae that lived during the Early Pliocene and was discovered in the U.S. state of Florida.[1] Comparable in size to a medium-sized modern jaguar at about 165 lb. in weight, fossils of Rhizosmilodon are known only from Florida. The best specimens for this species are its lower jaw and teeth, which carry intermediate characteristics between advanced forms such as Smilodon and primitive forms such as Paramachairodus. It was likely an ambush predator, preying on animals such as deer, tapirs and horses.[2]

Rhizosmilodon
Temporal range: Early Pliocene
↓
Fossil specimens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: †Machairodontinae
Tribe: †Smilodontini
Genus: †Rhizosmilodon
Wallace & Hulbert, 2013
Species
  • †Rhizosmilodon fiteae Wallace & Hulbert, 2013

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic relationships of Rhizosmilodon with other Machairodonts based on analysis of 37 cranio-mandibular characters.[1]

 
 

Proailurus lemanensis

 
Machairodontinae
 

Promegantereon ogygia

 
 
Paramachaerodus
 

Paramachaerodus orientalis

 
 

Paramachaerodus maximiliani

 
 
 
Smilodontini
 

Rhizosmilodon fiteae

 
 
Smilodon
 

Smilodon gracilis

 
 
 

Smilodon fatalis

 
 

Smilodon populator

 
 
 
Megantereon
 

Megantereon cultridens

 
 

Megantereon hesperus

 
 
 
 
Machairodontini
Machairodus
 

Machairodus aphanistus

 
 

Machairodus coloradensis

 
 
 

Homotherium serum

 
(=Homotherini)
 
 
 
 

References
  1. Wallace, S. C.; Hulbert, R. C. (2013). Larson, Greger (ed.). "A New Machairodont from the Palmetto Fauna (Early Pliocene) of Florida, with Comments on the Origin of the Smilodontini (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae)". PLoS ONE. 8 (3): e56173. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056173. PMC 3596359. PMID 23516394.
  2. https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/species/rhizosmilodon-fiteae


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