Albanosmilus
| Albanosmilus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cranium of Albanosmilus jourdani | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | †Barbourofelidae |
| Tribe: | †Barbourofelini |
| Genus: | †Albanosmilus Kretzoi, 1929 |
| Type species | |
| Albanosmilus jourdani (Filhol, 1883)
| |
| Other Species | |
| |
Albanosmilus is an extinct genus of the family Barbourofelidae.[1] It lived from Middle to Late Miocene in Eurasia and North America.[2][3]
Taxonomy
[edit]Classification
[edit]Bryant in his 1991 considered Albanosmilus as a member of the false sabre-toothed cat family Nimravidae.[4] However, Albanosmilus was eventually considered part of the Barbourofelidae, where it was considered synonymous to Sansanosmilus. By 2013, this was refuted and was considered a valid genus with two species: Albanosmilus jourdani, the type species (with synonyms Albanosmilus vallesiensis, Barbourofelis vallesiensis) and Albanosmilus whitfordi (with synonyms Barbourofelis whitfordi).[2] In the recent years, some studies suggest Barbourofelidae were nimravids, under the subfamily Barbourofelinae.[5][6][7]
Evolution
[edit]According to recent phylogenetic analysis, Barbourofelins likely evolved when Nimravinae taxa migrated into Africa at MN2. Their size was likely constrained by the presence of large Hyaenodonta that roamed Africa. Eventually they would disperse into Eurasia and North America.[7] During the late Middle Miocene, A. jourdani replaced Sansanosmilus in Europe.[8]
A. jourdani may have migrated into North America and evolved into the genus Barbourofelis and the species A. whitfordi.[9]
Description
[edit]Albanosmilus jourdani could weigh around 80–100 kg (180–220 lb), making it one of the largest members within Barbourofelidae, just behind Barbourofelis fricki.[10] A. whitfordi is described to be smaller than the North American species of Barbourofelis.[11]
Paleobiology
[edit]Albanosmilus is speculated to have been either a pack or solitary hunter.[10][12] A 2020 study suggested that A. jourdani had a jaw gape of 90 degrees.[13] Including supplementary materials Coprolites likely referable to this genus were described in 2023, which may suggest that Albanosmilus was an apex predator in this locality. Presumably, like other carnivorans that weighed over 25 kg (55 lb), it probably hunted herbivores its size or larger. Due to the lack of bone fragments, it’s suggested that the diet of Albanosmilus largely consisted of meat, which is consistent with its hypercarnviorous dentition and presumed nutrients.[12]
Paleoecology
[edit]Albanosmilus jourdani was found in Eurasia, and lived from 11.9-9.7 ma.[7] Including supplementary materials This species was found in Gratkorn, it coexisted with herbivores such as would include equid Anchitherium, suids such as Parachleuastochoerus steinheimensis and listriodontinae Listriodon splendens, palaeomerycidae Palaeomeryx, chalicotheriidae Chalicotherium, aceratheriinae rhinos Aceratherium, Brachypotherium and Lartetotherium, and deinotheriinae proboscidean Deinotherium. The contemporary carnivoran within this locality was the hyena Protictitherium, both carnivores would’ve coexisted by hunting prey of different sizes. Based on the coprolites, equid and suids were probable prey for Albanosmilus. On the other hand, chalicotheres, rhinos, and proboscideans were considered to have been improbable prey, with social hunting comparable to lion prides being required to hunt young proboscideans. On the other hand, there is possible evidence of Albanosmilus scavenging on Deinotherium.[12]
Within Los Valles de Fuentidueña, A. jourdani coexisted with carnivorans including Felids such as the basal Pseudaelurus quadridentatus and machairodont Machairodus aphanistus, amphicyoninae Magericyon castellanus, and ictitheriinae hyena Lycyaena chaeretis. Herbivores within this locality include hipparionini equid Hipparion primigenium, aceratheriinae rhinos Aceratherium incisivum and Alicornops simorrense, bovid Miotragocerus, cervid Euprox dicranocerus, tragulid Dorcatherium naui, giraffid Decennatherium pachecoi, and "tetralophodont gomphothere" Tetralophodon longirostris. Isotopic analysis shows Albanosmilus preyed upon for Hipparion, Miotragocerus, Euprox, Dorcatherium, and Chalicomys, with the megaherbivores unlikely to frequent prey items in any of the carnivorans diet. The isotopic values also showed that there was a significant niche overlap between large predators within LVF, which strongly suggests resource competition, this is further supported by the density of large predators and low density of small and medium herbivores.[10] Including supplementary materials
An unnamed species of Albanosmilus was found within the Dashengou Fauna of the Linxia Basin, within this locality it coexisted with a number of large carnivorans such as the large percrocutid hyena Dinocrocuta gigantea, machairodonts Amphimachairodous hezhengensis and Machairodus aphanistus, and two unnamed agriotheriini bears, Dinocrocuta was the most abundant carnivore found within this fauna. Herbivores within this locality include rhinoceros such as Acerorhinus hezhengensis, Chilotherium wimani, and Iranotherium morgani, suid Chleuastochoerus stehlini, cervid Dicrocerus, bovid Miotragocerus, giraffids Honanotherium schlosseri and Samotherium, and proboscidean Tetralophodon exoletus.[14][15]
Extinction
[edit]Albanosmilus jourdani disappeared from the Iberian Peninsula around 9.1 Ma, while A. whitfordi went extinct around 7 Ma.[10][11][7] Some have hypothesized that the extinction of barbourofelids was due to competition with sabertooth cats such as Machairodus and Nimravides.[16][10] However, this hypothesis has been questioned as their temporal overlap was limited.[6][7] An unnamed species of Albanosmilus was also able to successfully coexist with both Amphimachairodus and Machairodus in Linxia Basin.[14]
Other experts argue the more likely cause of their extinction was faunal overturns during the Late Miocene via the expansion of grasslands instead of competition.[17][18]
References
[edit]- ^ Albanosmilus in the Paleobiology Database
- ^ a b Robles, Josep M.; Alba, David M.; Fortuny, Josep; Esteban-Trivigno, Soledad De; Rotgers, Cheyenn; Balaguer, Jordi; Carmona, Raül; Galindo, Jordi; Almécija, Sergio; Bertó, Juan V.; Moyà-Solà, Salvador (2013). "New craniodental remains of the barbourofelid Albanosmilus jourdani(Filhol, 1883) from the Miocene of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula) and the phylogeny of the Barbourofelini". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 11 (8): 993–1022. doi:10.1080/14772019.2012.724090. S2CID 85157737.
- ^ Tseng, Z. Jack; Takeuchi, Gary T.; Wang, Xiaoming (January 2010). "Discovery of the Upper Dentitle of Brbourofelis whitfordi (Nimravidae, Carnivora) and an Evaluation of the Genus in California". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (1): 244–254. doi:10.1080/02724630903416001.
- ^ Bryant, H. N. (1991). "Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of the Nimravidae (Carnivora)". Journal of Mammalogy. doi:10.2307/1381980. JSTOR 1381980.
- ^ Wang, Xiaoming; White, Stuart C.; Guan, Jian (2 May 2020). "A new genus and species of sabretooth, Oriensmilus liupanensis (Barbourofelinae, Nimravidae, Carnivora), from the middle Miocene of China suggests barbourofelines are nimravids, not felids". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 18 (9): 783–803. doi:10.1080/14772019.2019.1691066. S2CID 211545222.
- ^ a b Barrett, P. Z.; Hopkins, W. S. B.; Price, S. A. (2021). "How many sabertooths? Reevaluating the number of carnivoran sabertooth lineages with total-evidence Bayesian techniques and a novel origin of the Miocene Nimravidae". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 41 (1): e1923523. doi:10.1080/02724634.2021.1923523. S2CID 236221655.
- ^ a b c d e Barrett, Paul Zachary (26 October 2021). "The largest hoplophonine and a complex new hypothesis of nimravid evolution". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 21078. Bibcode:2021NatSR..1121078B. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-00521-1. PMC 8548586. PMID 34702935. S2CID 240000358.
- ^ Jordy Antón, Mauricio, Agustí; Mauricio, Antón (2002). Mammoths, Sabertooths, And Hominids. Columbia University Press. p. 145. ISBN 0-231-11640-3.
- ^ Michael Morlo (2006). "New remains of Barbourofelidae from the Miocene of Southern Germany: implications for the history of barbourid migrations". Beiträge zur Paläontologie, Wien. 30: 339–346.
- ^ a b c d e Domingo, Laura; Domingo, M. Soledad; Koch, Paul L.; Alberdi, M. Teresa (May 10, 2017). "Carnivoran resource and habitat use in the context of a Late Miocene faunal turnover episode". Palaeontology. 60 (4): 461–483. doi:10.1111/pala.12296.
- ^ a b Tseng, Z. Jack; Takeuchi, Gary T.; Wang, Xiaoming (January 2010). "Discovery of the Upper Dentitle of Brbourofelis whitfordi (Nimravidae, Carnivora) and an Evaluation of the Genus in California". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (1): 244–254. doi:10.1080/02724630903416001.
- ^ a b c Gross, Martin; Prieto, Jérôme; Grímsson, Friðgeir; Bojar, Hans-Peter (2023-07-26). "Hyena and 'false' sabre-toothed cat coprolites from the late Middle Miocene of south-eastern Austria". Historical Biology: 1–20. doi:10.1080/08912963.2023.2237979. ISSN 0891-2963.
- ^ Lautenschlager, Stephan; Figueirido, Borja; Cashmore, Daniel D.; Bendel, Eva-Maria; Stubbs, Thomas L. (2020). "Morphological convergence obscures functional diversity in sabre-toothed carnivores". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 287 (1935): 1–10. doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.1818. ISSN 1471-2954. PMC 7542828. PMID 32993469.
- ^ a b Jiangzuo, Q; Werdelin, L; Sanisidro, O; Yang, Rong; Fu, Jiao; Li, Shijie; Wang, Shiqi; Deng, Tao (April 2023). "Origin of adaptations to openenvironments and social behaviour insabretoothed cats from the northeasternborder of the Tibetan Plateau". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 290 (1997): 7–8. doi:10.1098/rspb.2023.0019. PMC 10113030. PMID 37072045. S2CID 20230019.
- ^ Deng, Tao (2005). "New Discovery of Iranotherium morgani (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae) from the Late Miocene of the Linxia Basin in Gansu, China, and Its Sexual Dimorphism". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 25 (2): 442–450. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2005)025[0442:NDOIMP]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0272-4634. JSTOR 4524457. S2CID 85820005.
- ^ Antón, Mauricio (2013). Sabertooth. Bloomington, Indiana: University of Indiana Press. p. 90. ISBN 9780253010421.
- ^ Jiangzuo, Qigao; Li, Shijie; Deng, Tao (2022). "Parallelism and lineage replacement of the late Miocene scimitar-toothed cats from the old and New World" (PDF). iScience. 25 (12): 105637. Bibcode:2022iSci...25j5637J. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.105637. PMC 9730133. PMID 36505925.
- ^ Michael Morlo (2006). "New remains of Barbourofelidae from the Miocene of Southern Germany: implications for the history of barbourid migrations". Beiträge zur Paläontologie, Wien. 30: 339–346.
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