Nimravus
Extinct genus of carnivores
title: "Nimravus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["nimravidae", "oligocene-feliforms", "chattian-genus-extinctions", "rupelian-genus-first-appearances", "oligocene-mammals-of-europe", "paleogene-france", "fossils-of-france", "quercy-phosphorites-formation", "oligocene-mammals-of-north-america", "fossil-taxa-described-in-1879", "prehistoric-carnivoran-genera", "taxa-named-by-edward-drinker-cope"] description: "Extinct genus of carnivores" topic_path: "geography/france" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimravus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Extinct genus of carnivores ::
::callout[type=note] the extinct [[Nimravidae ::
| fossil_range = Late Eocene to Late Oligocene (Priabonian to Chattian) | image = Nimravus gomphodus.jpg | image_caption = N. brachyops skull | taxon = Nimravus | authority = Cope, 1879 | type_species = †Nimravus brachyops | type_species_authority = Cope, 1879 | subdivision_ranks = Other species | subdivision = * N. intermedius Filhol, 1872
Nimravus is an extinct genus of "false" saber-toothed cat that lived in North America and Eurasia during the late Eocene and Oligocene epochs 35.3—27.1 mya, existing for approximately . Not closely related to true saber-toothed cats, they evolved a similar form through parallel evolution. Fossils have been uncovered from western U.S. from Oregon to southern California and Nebraska, and also from Eurasia from France to Mongolia.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Nimravus_with_canine_tooth_piercing_another_bone.jpg" caption="''N. brachyops'' skull with canines piercing the leg bone of another specimen"] ::
Description
Nimravus was around 1.2 m in body length. With its sleek body, it may have resembled the modern caracal, although it had a longer back and more dog-like feet with partially retractile claws. It probably hunted birds and small mammals, ambushing them like modern cats, rather than chasing them down. Nimravus competed with other false sabre-tooths such as Hoplophoneus.
Pathology
A Nimravus skull, found in North America, had been pierced in the forehead region, the hole exactly matching the dimensions of the sabre-like canine of Eusmilus. This particular individual of Nimravus apparently survived this encounter, as the wound showed signs of healing. Another Nimravus fossil from Nebraska was described in 1959 by paleontologist Loren Toohey, and comprises a Nimravus skull with saber-teeth embedded into the humerus of another Nimravus, indicating a fatal incidence of intra-specific combat.
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Turtle_Cove_mural_-_Roger_Witter.jpg" caption="Restoration of ''Nimravus'' (far left) and other animals from the Turtle Cove Formation"] ::
References
References
- "PBDB Taxon".
- (1999). "The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals". Marshall Editions.
- [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/dakota-badlands-used-host-wild-sabertoothed-pseudo-cat-battles-180957841/ The Dakota Badlands Used to Host Sabertoothed Pseudo-Cat Battles]
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::