Saber-toothed cat-like species identified in fossils found decades ago in California
A fossil first found in 1988 belongs to a saber-toothed animal that precedes modern cats by millions of years, the San Diego Natural History Museum announced on March 15.
The species, recently identified by paleontologists, was named Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae. The first part of the species’ name means “San Diego’s cat,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported, while the second part is in honor of paleontologist Blaire Van Valkenburgh, researchers wrote in PeerJ, an international open-access science journal.
Diegoaelurus is the oldest-known saber-toothed carnivore and lived in the forests of ancient San Diego about 42 million years ago, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The animals were part of an early group of carnivores that evolved following “the mass extinction that ended the Age of Dinosaurs,” the outlet reported.
“There were tiny rhinos, early tapirs, and strange sheep-like, herbivorous oreodonts that grazed under trees while unusual primates and marsupials clung to the canopy above,” the museum said. “This richness of prey species would have been a smorgasbord for Diegoaelurus, allowing it to live the life of a specialized hunter before most other mammals.”
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