Albanosmilus
| Albanosmilus | |
|---|---|
| Cranium of Albanosmilus jourdani | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | †Nimravidae |
| Tribe: | †Barbourofelini |
| Genus: | †Albanosmilus Kretzoi, 1929 |
| Type species | |
| Albanosmilus jourdani (Filhol, 1883)
| |
| Other Species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
A. jourdani
A. whitfordi
| |
Albanosmilus is an extinct genus of the subfamily Barbourofelinae, part of the family of feliforms known as Nimravidae. The genus currently consists of two named species: Albanosmilus jourdani and Albanosmilus whitfordi. Albanosmilus lived in Eurasia and North America from the Middle to Late Miocene from 12 to 7 mya, making it one of the last nimravids. The genus may have been ancestral to Barbourofelis.
A. jourdani was found in Eurasia and was the largest species of the genus. With estimates suggesting it could've weighed 80–100 kg (180–220 lb), making it as large as a jaguar and smaller than Barbourofelis. Like Barbourofelis, A. jourdani was believed to have been an ambulatory, ambush predator and was likely an apex predator of its ecosystem. A. whitfordi was endemic to North America and was smaller in size, more similar in size a leopard. Unlike A. jourdani, A. whitfordi was believed to have been a cursorial predator. In addition, Albanosmilus was also recovered in East Asia.