#nimravidae

[dinobeates]

Last group of non-dinosaurs (besides Tryma...) for the first Fossil Fighters game! Onto Champions!

[babybunnyloaf]

finished this too yay :D

read the named / ratha series by clare bell

[tysonfurybattlepass]

trick or treat! show us keets! ((cats))

you get a game of spot the difference!

not only are these two different species, one of them isn’t even a cat!

the animal on the left is an extinct nimravid called dinictis felina. it has a shorter tail, flatter blade-like canine teeth, and five toes on each back foot.

the animal on the right is a modern felid: the mainland clouded leopard, neofelis nebulosa. it has a longer tail, thicker conical teeth, and four toes on each back foot.

though these animals are not closely related, they have very similar body plans. this is likely because they share similar lifestyles and environments, which favor specific traits like body size and shape. convergent evolution at its finest :3

[sinasinasinas]

"False saber-tooth vs False ostrich"

Pogonodon ambushes a young urmiornis. Southern Ukraine , Late miocene.

[ailurinae]

Exploring the history of an early nimravid from California

Dogs, cats, and their close relatives—existing and extinct—are members of Carnivoramorpha, a group of mammals in which saber-like canines ha

Excellent name for a Nimravid - Pangurban egiae

(Even if from California)

CC @pangur-and-grim @dduane

[alphynix]

Nix, may I please ask how you would distinguish between the Machairodonts and the not-actually-cat sabertooths (like the Nimravids or the Barbourofelids) in you were ever inspired to draw them side by side? (also, may I please ask if you have ever illustrated one of the Amphicyonidae?).

I’d distinguish the “false sabertooth” nimravids and barbourofelids by making them visually less cat-like, since they’re non-felid feliforms.

Differences in nose and ear shape can go a long way in making mammals look distinct from each other, so I’d try to avoid doing the classic triangular cat nose.

Plus they both have those bony flanges on their lower jaws that machairodonts lacked.

Nimravids have slightly longer snouts and smaller nasal cavities, and being very basal feliforms I’d give them more “generic carnivoran” features based on relatives like viverrids and nandiniids.

Barbourofelids have rather deep jaws and a a sort of square-ish head shape. Their taxonomic position is a little uncertain – they’re either the sister group to felids or close relatives of nimravids –  so I could potentially push their appearance even less cat-like, too.

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As for bear-dogs… I did actually illustrate a couple of those for a PBS Eons episode a little while back! I’ll be showing them off here along with a few other images very soon.

[nimravidae-art]

time to mass-upload some of the art i’ve done this month! my good pal gryphon commissioned me to do a reference sheet for her silly little octoling man

his full name is bento beverage box, and he’ll do your taxes!

[earthstory]

palaeoart

Although I visited the Bakewell Rock Exchange yesterday on the hunt for nice British fossil specimens, this specimen from an old collection being sold caught my eye. This is a nice example of a Dinictis squalidens - a species of false Sabre-tooth cat (Nimravidae) from the Oligocene white river formations of South Dakota 30 million years ago. These are tough to get hold of and it’s in pretty decent condition. It’s got one complete Sabre (albeit a little weathered) but the fossil skull has all of the key features characteristic of a Dinictis - most notably the elongated canines. The notes that came with this were incredibly detailed showcasing when the fossil was originally purchased in the 80s and even the details of the exact location it was found. It’s a good example of the details that should be kept with any piece in any collection.

#dinictis