Athena Review Image Archive ™
Hoplophoneus mentalis skeleton
Skeleton of Hoplophoneus mentalis (after)
Hoplophoneus mentalis was an Oligocene saber tooth carnivore distantly related to modern felids. It belonged to the family Nimravidae, inhabiting North America during the Late Eocene to Early Oligocene periods (35-29 mya).
Hoplophoneus,
though not a true cat, was similar to cats in outward appearance,
with a more robust body and shorter legs. About the size of a large
leopard, H. mentalis had very large upper canines of the saber tooth variety.
This example of H. mentalis was found in the Brule Formation in the South Dakota Badlands.
References:
Hough, Jean. 1950. The Habits and Adaptation of the Oligocene saber tooth carnivore, Hoplophoneus. US Geological Survey Professional Paper 221.
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