Metailurus
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Metailurus major |
Metailurus is a genus of machairodontine saber-toothed cats belonging to the tribe Metailurini that lived in Europe and Asia approximately 9-6 million years ago.
Metailurus is known as a "false sabertooth" cat because, instead of true saberteeth, it had what appears to be a cross between long, flat saberteeth and the shorter cone-shaped teeth of the modern-day felines. Due to the fragmentary nature of Metailurus fossils, the number of species is subject of debate.
[edit] References
Turner, A and Mauricio Anton. Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives 1997. Columbia University Press. New York.
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