Hoplophoneus
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 Hoplophoneus mentalis
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Extinct (fossil)
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Hoplophoneus is an extinct genus of mammal that is often referred to as a saber-toothed cat. It was one of the earliest ancestors of the cat family, the Felidae.
Hoplophoneus was a member of the family Nimravidae. Originating roughly 55 million years ago, this family would eventually give rise to the civets, the mongooses, and hyenas.
The Hoplophoneus species were structured like the Smilodon species including the saber-like teeth but were about the size of a small leopard. It had a robust body with shorter legs.
Hoplophoneus was similar to cats in outward appearance but the Nimravidae were not true cats. Bone structure was different in the small bones of the inner ear. True cats housed an external structure called an auditory bulla separated by a septum with two chambers. Nimravidae remains showed no trace of this auditory bulla. Nimravidae had partially cartilaginous bulla and the presence of an ossified bulla with no septum. They also had a flange on the front of the mandible that projected downward as long as the canine tooth.
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