An artist’s impression of a saber-toothed cat in the genus Smilodon. (Image credit: Shutterstock)
Scientists have discovered the remains of two never-before-seen species of saber-toothed cat that roamed Africa some 5.2 million years ago. The discovery changes what researchers previously knew about this extinct group of feline creatures, a new study suggests.
The new findings may also shed light on the environmental changes that occurred at that time, which could help reveal why human ancestors started walking on two legs. said the researcher.
The partial remains of two newly discovered species, Dinofelis werdellini And Lokotunjailurus chimsamyaeexcavated with the bones of two other known species, Adeilosmilus kabir And Yoshi obscura, near the town of Langebaanweg on the west coast of South Africa. All four species belong to the subfamily Machairodontinae – an extinct group of feline predators that includes most of the saber-toothed cat species. (The name Machairodontinae means “dagger tooth.”) Most members of this subfamily are about the size of most of the big cats alive today.
In a new study, published July 20 in the journal iScience, researchers describe the remains of all four species. Invention D. werdelini not a surprise to the team, as species of this genus have previously been found in the area and around the world, including Europe, North America, and China. However, the researchers were surprised to find L. chimsamyae Because, until now members of this genus have only ever been found in Kenya and Chad.
The new findings suggest that the majority of saber-toothed cats may be much more widespread than previously thought, the researchers wrote in a journal. statement.
Related: The dire wolf and the saber-toothed cat probably developed arthritis when they interbred to extinction
A researcher holds the skull of a saber-toothed cat from the genus Smilodonthat were not part of the new study. (Image credit: iScience Jiangzuo et al.)
In the study, the researchers compared bones from the newly discovered species and known saber-toothed cats to create a new family tree for the group. The four species from the Langebaanweg are not closely related to each other and likely occupy very different ecological niches despite living in the same area at about the same time.
For example, L. chinsamyae And A. kabir larger and more adapted to running at high speeds, which would make them suitable for open prairie environments. But D. werdelini And Y.obscura smaller and more agile, which would make them better suited for closed environments, such as forests, the researchers said.
This diagram shows how many different species of saber-toothed cat likely overlapped in different areas. (Image credit: iScience Jiangzuo et al.)
The overlapping of these species indicates that their habitat includes forests and open grasslands. Researchers think this may be due to Africa’s changing climate, which is slowly transforming the continent from giant forests to open grasslands, which are the predominant habitat type today.
Until recently, researchers weren’t sure when shifts in ecosystem types across Africa might occur. Understanding this better could help reveal how the common ancestor of humans, or hominins, who first appeared in Africa at that time, became bipedal. Environmental change is thought to be an “important trigger” that pushed hominins to walk on two legs, the researchers wrote in the study.
However, recent studies looking at other ancient ecosystems across Africa have shown that grasslands may have actually started appearing as late as 21 million years ago, which suggests that changes in eoccystems may have had no impact on hominin bipedalism at all, according to The Conversation.
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2023-07-25 17:25:58
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