''Prosansanosmilus'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of mammalian

carnivores A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other so ...

of the suborder

Feliformia Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including cats (large and small), hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Canifor ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Barbourofelidae, which lived in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

during the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

epoch (16.9—16.0 mya), existing for approximately . It contains ''Prosansanosmilus peregrinus'', which died out in the

epoch.

Taxonomy

''Prosansanosmilus'' was named by Heizmann et al. (1980). Its type is ''Prosansanosmilus peregrinus''. It was assigned to

Nimravinae The Nimravinae are a subfamily of the Nimravidae, an extinct family of feliform mammalian carnivores sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats. They were endemic to North America, Europe, and Asia from the Middle Eocene through the Late Mi ...

by Heizmann et al. (1980); to Felidae by Carroll (1988); to Barbourofelinae by Bryant (1991); and to Barbourofelidae by Morlo et al. (2004) and Morlo (2006). A new species, ''P. eggeri'' from the Middle Eocene locality of Sandelzhausen, Germany, was described in 2004. It differed from other European barbourofelids in having a more plesiomorphic ("ancestral") morphology, with less developed sabretooth adaptations and being smaller. However, the species is stratigraphically younger than ''P. peregrinus''; and probably part of the African faunal immigration into Europe during the Middle Eocene. Wyss and Flynn classified ''Prosansanosmilus peregrinus'' in the superorder Carnivoramorpha in 1993. Some scientists also think that Prosansanosmilus peregrinus was in the family

Nimravidae Nimravidae is an extinct family of carnivorans, sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats, whose fossils are found in North America and Eurasia. Not considered to belong to the true cats (family Felidae), the nimravids are generally considered ...

. However, this was proved wrong. Linnaeus classified Prosansanosmilus Peregrinus in the clade

Ferae Ferae ( , , "wild beasts") is a mirorder of placental mammalsMalcolm C. McKenna, Susan K. Bell: ''Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level'' in Columbia University Press, New York (1997), 631 Seiten. that groups together clades Pan-C ...

. Many scientists also agree that Prosansanosmilus peregrinus belonged to the Infraorder

Feloidea Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including cats (large and small), hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Caniform ...

. As a result, Prosansanosmilus peregrinus was closely related to the family Felidae and the family Nimravidae.

Distribution

''P. peregrinus'' lived in MN4 of France and Germany. Two fossils of ''P. peregrinus'' have been found in France and another two have been found in Germany. ''P. peregrinus'' was a ground-dwelling creature.

Morphology

Like all barbourofelids, ''Prosansanosmilus'' was very muscular, short legged and probably walked plantigrade (flat-footed). There are only two species of ''Prosansanosmilus'', which lived in Spain, France and Germany during the Late

epoch.

Diet

''P. peregrinus'' was either a

carnivore A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other s ...

or an omnivore.

Time range

''P. peregrinus'' is thought to have lived between 16.9 and 16 Mya. New evidence suggests that ''P. peregrinus'' lived 20–16 Mya. German scientists excavated a fossil of ''P. peregrinus'' dating 20 Mya. Other scientists think that P.Peregrinus lived between 16.9 and 15.7 Mya.

References

Barbourofelidae Prehistoric mammals of Europe Miocene carnivorans Prehistoric carnivoran genera {{paleo-carnivora-stub