Paleontologists have recognized a beforehand unknown species of prehistoric cat that lived greater than 15 million years in the past and sure had a strong chunk.
The new medium-sized feline species, which has been named Magerifelis peignei, was described based mostly on a fossil recovered in 2007 in Madrid, in line with a workforce of researchers with the nation’s National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC).
The fossil, which consists of a jawbone, got here to gentle throughout enchancment works for an underground public transport interchange positioned below the Príncipe Pío station and an adjoining purchasing heart. These works uncovered a paleontological web site relationship to the Miocene interval, round 23 million to five million years in the past.
The discovery of the prehistoric cat fossil has vital implications for understanding the evolution of felines provided that the latest species—described within the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology—represents a brand new type, that includes primitive enamel and a “very sturdy” jaw.
J. Gamarra/Salesa et al., Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 2024
“In 2007, an attention-grabbing paleontological web site from the center Miocene was found in Príncipe Pío. One of probably the most excellent fossils of the recovered materials was a jaw of a small feline, whose research we have now simply revealed within the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology,” MNCN researcher Manuel Salesa, an writer of the research, mentioned in a press launch.
The recovered jawbone of Magerifelis peignei is virtually full and preserves almost the entire enamel in “distinctive” situation.
The most stunning remark is that the feline had a tiny decrease second molar—a tooth absent in all present and fossil cats besides Proailurus, the oldest recognized feline within the fossil document.
The jaw of the newly described cat is “very sturdy” in comparison with that of equally sized felines, which suggests it might have been able to withstanding important stress throughout biting.
“In addition to this resistance to stress, the muscle groups liable for the chunk have extremely developed insertion areas, indicative of comparatively bigger muscle plenty than these of different felines of comparable measurement,” Salesa mentioned.
This signifies that M. peignei, which additionally represents a completely new genus (group of species), was most likely capable of exert “highly effective bites.” As a end result, it was possible able to quickly killing comparatively bigger prey than that of similarly-sized felines dwelling right now.
During the center Miocene, round 15 million years in the past, the local weather of Madrid was hotter than it’s right now whereas the panorama was dominated by in depth wooded meadows with forested patches the place quite a few animal species discovered refuge.
In this atmosphere lived ungulates of assorted sizes, equivalent to Hispanotherium matritense—an extinct rhinoceros tailored to consuming grass. These animals had been accompanied by mastodons (massive, elephant-like creatures), paleomericids (deer-like ruminants), bovids, three-toed horses and wild boars.
Several carnivores additionally inhabited the area, together with massive bears, mustelids (a various household of carnivorous mammals together with weasels, badgers and otters, amongst others) and small cats.
Newsweek has reached out to the writer of this research for remark by way of e-mail.
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Newsweek is dedicated to difficult standard knowledge and discovering connections within the seek for frequent floor.
