Two New Species of Dagger-Toothed Cat Discovered by Scientists: Prehistoric Predators from South Africa

Two new species of dagger-toothed cat discovered by scientists after uncovering 5 million year old fossils. Photo/iScience Jiangzuo/Live Science

CAPE TOWN – Two new species cat The fanged dagger was discovered by scientists after uncovering 5 million year old fossils. Two new species of this prehistoric predator are thought to have lived in south Africa about 5.2 million years ago.

Scientists have discovered the remains of two never-before-seen species of saber-toothed cat. The discovery has changed the views of previous researchers about this group of prehistoric cats that are now extinct.

The two new species discovered, namely Dinofelis werdelini and Lokotunjailurus chimsamyae, whose fossils were found near the town of Langebaanweg on the west coast of South Africa. The two new species fossils were discovered along with the bones of two other known species of dagger cats, Adeilosmilus kabir and Yoshi obscura.

All four species belong to the subfamily Machairodontinae (dagger-toothed), a group of extinct cat predators that includes most of the saber-toothed cat species. Most members of this subfamily are about the size of most of the big cats (tiger) alive today.

In a new study, published July 20 in the journal iScience, researchers describe the remains of all four species. The discovery of Dinofelis werdelini came as no 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 Lokotunjailurus chimsamyae because until now members of this genus had only been found in Kenya and Chad. The new findings show that the majority of saber-toothed cats are much more widespread than previously thought.

In the study, the researchers compared the bones of 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.

2023-07-22 13:58:25
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