Rhizosmilodon

Rhizosmilodon is an extinct genus of saber-tooth cat of the subfamily Machairodontinae that lived during the Early Pliocene and was discovered in the U.S. state of Florida.[1] Comparable in size to a medium-sized modern jaguar at about 165 lb. in weight, fossils of Rhizosmilodon are known only from Florida. The best specimens for this species are its lower jaw and teeth, which carry intermediate characteristics between advanced forms such as Smilodon and primitive forms such as Paramachairodus. It was likely an ambush predator, preying on animals such as deer, tapirs and horses.[2]

Rhizosmilodon Temporal range: Early Pliocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Fossil specimens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	†Machairodontinae
Tribe:	†Smilodontini
Genus:	†Rhizosmilodon Wallace & Hulbert, 2013
Species
†Rhizosmilodon fiteae Wallace & Hulbert, 2013

Phylogeny

Phylogenetic relationships of Rhizosmilodon with other Machairodonts based on analysis of 37 cranio-mandibular characters.[1]

Proailurus lemanensis   Machairodontinae   Promegantereon ogygia     Paramachaerodus   Paramachaerodus orientalis     Paramachaerodus maximiliani       Smilodontini   Rhizosmilodon fiteae     Smilodon   Smilodon gracilis       Smilodon fatalis     Smilodon populator       Megantereon   Megantereon cultridens     Megantereon hesperus         Machairodontini Machairodus   Machairodus aphanistus     Machairodus coloradensis       Homotherium serum   (=Homotherini)

References

1. Wallace, S. C.; Hulbert, R. C. (2013). Larson, Greger (ed.). "A New Machairodont from the Palmetto Fauna (Early Pliocene) of Florida, with Comments on the Origin of the Smilodontini (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae)". PLoS ONE. 8 (3): e56173. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056173. PMC 3596359. PMID 23516394.
2. https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/florida-vertebrate-fossils/species/rhizosmilodon-fiteae