Editing Machairodus (section)

==Paleoecology==
''M. aphanistus'' seemed to prefer open woodland habitat, as evidenced by finds at the [[Vallesian]]-aged [[Cerro de los Batallones]]. As a top predator at Batallones, it would have hunted large herbivores of the time. Large herbivores found at the Batallones site included horses like ''[[Hipparion]]'' (consumpution of ''Hipparion'' by ''Machairodus aphanistus'' is strongly supported by isotopic analysis of remains from Batallones<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Domingo |first1=M. Soledad |last2=Domingo |first2=Laura |last3=Abella |first3=Juan |last4=Valenciano |first4=Alberto |last5=Badgley |first5=Catherine |last6=Morales |first6=Jorge |date=August 2016 |title=Feeding ecology and habitat preferences of top predators from two Miocene carnivore-rich assemblages |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0094837315000500/type/journal_article |journal=Paleobiology |language=en |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=489–507 |doi=10.1017/pab.2015.50 |bibcode=2016Pbio...42..489D |issn=0094-8373}}</ref>), the hornless rhinoceros ''[[Aceratherium]]'', the giraffes ''[[Decennatherium]]'' and ''[[Birgerbohlinia]]'', the deer ''[[Euprox]]'' and ''Lucentia'', the antelopes ''Paleoreas'', ''[[Tragoportax]]'', ''[[Miotragocerus]]'' and ''[[Dorcatherium]]'', the “[[gomphotheriidae|gomphotherid]]” [[elephantoid]] ''[[Tetralophodon]]'', the porcupine ''[[Hystrix (mammal)|Hystrix]]'', and the suid ''[[Microstonyx]]''. ''Machairodus'' would have competed for such prey with the [[amphicyonid]] ''[[Magericyon]]'', fellow machairodonts ''[[Promegantereon]]'' and ''[[Paramachairodus]]'', bears such as ''[[Agriotherium]]'' and ''[[Indarctos]]'', and the small [[Hyaenidae|hyaenid]] ''[[Protictitherium]]''. While ''Agriotherium'' and ''Magericyon'' would likely have been strongly competitive with ''Machairodus'' for food, ''Promegantereon'', ''Paramachairodus'' and ''Protictitherium'' likely were less potential rivals.{{sfnp|Antón|2013|p=52}} Evidence also exists indicating that ''Machairodus'' may have been prone to [[niche partitioning]] with ''Magericyon'', possibly living in slightly different habitats, with the machairodont preferring more heavily vegetated habitats while the bear-dog hunted in the more open areas. Dietary preferences may also have played a role in the coexistence between these two large predators at Batallones.<ref>{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Switek |url=http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/30/carnivorous-neighbors-how-sabercats-and-a-bear-dog-managed-to-coexist/ |title=Carnivorous Neighbors — How Sabercats and a Bear Dog Managed to Coexist |date=November 30, 2012 |work=National Geographic |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123184134/http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2012/11/30/carnivorous-neighbors-how-sabercats-and-a-bear-dog-managed-to-coexist/ |archive-date=2013-01-23 |access-date=2019-05-22}}</ref>

This species was also found in Linxia Basin, which suggests they were present in East Asia during the Late Miocene. They would have coexisted with a number of other large carnivores including two unnamed species of [[Agriotheriini|agriotherine]] bears, the [[barbourofelid]] ''[[Albanosmilus]]'', fellow machairodont ''[[Amphimachairodus]]'', and the hyena ''[[Dinocrocuta]].'' Given their different skull morphology, they would’ve practiced niche partitioning, with ''Machairodus'' being more adapted for forested areas compared to ''Amphimachairodous'', which was more adapted for open environments.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Jiangzuo |first1=Q |last2=Werdelin |first2=L |last3=Sanisidro |first3=O |last4=Yang |first4=Rong |last5=Fu |first5=Jiao |last6=Li |first6=Shijie |last7=Wang |first7=Shiqi |last8=Deng |first8=Tao |date=April 2023 |title=Origin of adaptations to openenvironments and social behaviour insabretoothed cats from the northeasternborder of the Tibetan Plateau |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370122411 |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |volume=290 |issue=1997 |pages=7–8 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2023.0019 |pmc=10113030 |pmid=37072045 |s2cid=20230019}}</ref>