One of the largest ship-toothed cats in North America in Earth history

Published:

5 May 2021 09:46 GMT

‘Machirotus lahishup’ lived 5.5 to 9 million years ago and weighed an average of about 270 kilograms.

An endangered and previously unknown cat has been identified by biologists at the University of Gonzaga and the University of Ohio in the United States. A study Published this Monday in Mammal Evolution Magazine.

Seven fossil specimens that lived in different parts of North America 5.5 to 9 million years ago have been described as ‘macchirodus lahishup’ based on comparisons with extinct cat skeletons from other parts of the world. Estimated to weigh an average of about 270 kilograms, the species is one of the largest fleets in Earth’s history.

Scientists estimate that these cats can hunt up to ten times their size. “We believe these are animals that usually kill animals to the extent of savagery. It was the largest cat alive at the time.” Appointment A Report to John Orkut, one of the authors of the Ohio University Research.

Although there are no fathers in the fossils examined, Arcad says that scientists “firmly believe it was a ship-toothed cat” of the genus Machirodus. At the same time, he points out that the inter-species relationship of this species is still “a little unclear, especially at the beginning of their evolution”. they. lahayishupup ‘The researcher says this can clarify the question.

Another scientific problem posed by the invention is that parallel to the evolution of the Miocene cat, says paper co-author Jonathan Khalid.

“It is known that there were giant cats in Europe, Asia and Africa, and now we have our own giant saber-toothed cat in North America during this period. Each of these continents has an interesting pattern of independent evolution over and over again.” There was an ancient giant saber-toothed cat scattered across those continents, ”says Khalid.

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