Dinofelis barlowi

Dinofelis barlowi (Dinofelis barlowi Broom, 1937)

? Therailurus Piveteau

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Dimensions: length - 1,7 m, height - 60 - 85 cm, weight - 120 kg

Temporal range: during the Middle Pliocene - Early Pelistocene epoch (Africa)

Dinofelis is a genus of saber-toothed cats (Felinae) belonging to the tribe Metailurini. They were widespread in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America at least 5 million to about 1.2 million years ago (Early Pliocene to Early Pleistocene). In size they were between a modern leopard and a lion, most being about the size of a jaguar (70 cm tall and up to 120 kg), medium-sized but powerful cats that possessed two prominent sabre teeth. The front limbs were particularly robust compared to the modern cats (even the jaguar). This stout body may implicate a preference for dense or mixed habitats although it may also have been similar to the extant jaguar with its range from forest to open range including wetland.