''Patriofelis'' ("father of cats") was a large, cat-like oxyaenid of middle

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene' ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. It was around long, not including the tail, and weighed about 40–90 kg, making it around the same size as a modern

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large Felidae, cat native to the Americas. Its Species distribution, range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mamm ...

. It had short legs with broad feet, suggesting that it may have been a poor runner, but a quite good swimmer. As its close relative ''

Oxyaena ''Oxyaena'' ("sharp hyena") is an extinct genus of oxyaenid mammal from early Eocene of Europe, Asia and North America (most specimens being found in Colorado). Etymology The name of the genus translates as "sharp hyaena" ( and name of hyen ...

'' was a reasonably good climber, it is possible ''Patriofelis'' could climb as well. It is found in particular in the Bridger Basin of southwestern

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

and at

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a U.S. national monument in Wheeler and Grant counties in east-central Oregon. Located within the John Day River basin and managed by the National Park Service, the park is known for its well-preserved l ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, both in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Phylogeny

The phylogenetic relationships of genus ''Patriofelis'' are shown in the following cladogram.Prevosti, F. J. & Forasiepi, A. M. (2018.
"Introduction. Evolution of South American Mammalian Predators During the Cenozoic: Paleobiogeographic and Paleoenvironmental Contingencies"
/ref>

Gallery

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1079152 Oxyaenidae Eocene mammals of North America Prehistoric placental genera John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Paleogene geology of Oregon Eocene genus first appearances Eocene genus extinctions Taxa named by Joseph Leidy Fossil taxa described in 1872

Phylogeny

Gallery

See also

References