Machairodus, or saber-toothed tiger ( lat. Machairodus, of . Ancient Greek μάχαιρα «dagger, sword" and ὀδούς «tooth") - genus of the extinct subfamily of saber-toothed cats (Machairodontinae), who inhabited in periods Miocene and Pliocene of Eurasia , Africa and North America and represented by several species. The name of the genus comes from the similarity of the teeth of its representatives with curved swords of the mahairas .
| † Makhairody |
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| Scientific classification |
|---|
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetric |
| Nadotryad : | Laurasiotherium |
| Subfamily : | † saber-toothed cats |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Machairodus Kaup , 1833 |
| Kinds |
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- † machairodus africanus
- † machairodus aphanistus
- † machairodus giganteus
- † machairodus oradensis
- † Machairodus colorandensis
- † Machairodus transvaalensis
- † machairodus alberdiae
- † machairodus copei
- † machairodus laskarevi
- † Machairodus irtyschensis
- † machairodus kabir
- † machairodus kurteni
- † machairodus fires
- † machairodus ischimicus
- † machairodus schlosseri
- † machairodus palanderi
- † machairodus palmidens
- † machairodus inexpectatus
- † machairodus giganteus
- † (Amphimachairodus giganteus)
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Geochronology15-2 million years | million years | The epoch | Pd | Era |
|---|
| | Th | TO
but
th
n
about
s
about
th | | 2.588 | | | 5.33 | Pliocene | H
e
about
g
e
n | | 23.03 | Miocene | | 33.9 | Oligocene | P
but
l
e
about
g
e
n | | 55,8 | Eocene | | 65.5 | Paleocene | | 251 | Mesozoic |
◄ Nowadays◄ Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction |
|---|
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Content
Different types of mahajrodov during the existence of the genus had a different appearance, but the unifying feature was the jagged edges of long canines, despite the fact that such a structure diminished as the animal matured. Unlike other saber-toothed cats, such as Smilodon , the makhairod had relatively short canines , though longer than those of modern cats. Some species reached a weight of 220 kg. The height at the shoulders of Machairodus aphanistus was about a meter, and at Machairodus coloradensis it was about 1.2 m. Amphimachairodus kabir was one of the largest felines in history. Estimated weight reached 350-490 kg.
Skull
machairodus palanderi Makhairods appeared presumably in Eurasia in the Middle Miocene about 15 million years ago. Their disappearance occurred about two million years ago. It is possible that the Mahairody were the progenitors of the genus Homoterium , which arose in the Pliocene . Various types of Mahairod were described, but so far there is no complete certainty that all of them are scientifically justified. Rather, two basic types can be distinguished inside the genus: a more primitive one, such as Machairodus aphanistus , found in different parts of Eurasia and North America, and a more developed type, which includes the Eurasian species Machairodus giganteus and the North American species Machairodus coloradensis . The first one was distinguished by a typical feline physique, while the second one had elongated forelimbs that resembled a hyena .
Scientists believe that mahajrody were the top of the food chain in their ecosystems. The main objects of their hunting were mastodons [1] . Australopithecus ate carrion for makhairody. All these three links in the food chain became extinct almost simultaneously.
- Machairodus aphanistus
- Machairodus giganteus
- Machairodus coloradensis
- Machairodus palanderi
- Amphimachairodus kabir
- Alain Turner / Mauricio Antón: The Big Cats Columbia University Press, 1997. ISBN 0-231-10229-1 (English)
- Jordi Augusti: Mammoths, Sabertooths and Hominids 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe , Columbia University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-231-11640-3 (eng.)
- Ernst Probst: Säbelzahnkatzen. Von Machairodus bis zu Smilodon , GRIN, 2009, ISBN 978-3-640-32794-2 (German)