Editing Machairodus

{{Short description|Extinct genus of saber-toothed cats}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = [[Middle Miocene|Middle]] to [[Late Miocene]] ([[Serravallian]] to [[Tortonian]]), {{Geological range|12.5|9.1}}
| image = Machairodus NNHM.jpg
| image_caption = Skeleton on display at the [[National Natural History Museum of China]]
| taxon = Machairodus
| authority = [[Johann Jakob Kaup|Kaup]], 1833
| type_species = {{extinct}}''Machairodus aphanistus''
| type_species_authority = Kaup, 1832
| subdivision_ranks = Other Species
| subdivision = *''M. alberdiae'' {{small|Ginsburg ''et al.'', 1981}}
*''M. laskerevi'' {{small|Sotnikova, 1992}}{{sfnp|Antón|2013}}
*''M. robinsoni'' {{small|Kurtén, 1975}}
| synonyms = 
}}
'''''Machairodus''''' (from {{langx|el|μαχαίρα}} {{transliteration|el|machaíra}}, 'knife' and {{langx|el|ὀδούς}} {{transliteration|el|odoús}} 'tooth')<ref>{{cite book |last1=Roberts |first1=George |title=An etymological and explanatory dictionary of the terms and language of geology |date=1839 |publisher=Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, & Longmans |location=London |page=103 |url=https://archive.org/details/anetymologicala00robegoog |access-date=31 December 2021 |language=English}}</ref> is a genus of large [[Machairodontinae|machairodont]] or <nowiki>''</nowiki>saber-toothed cat<nowiki>''</nowiki> that lived in [[Africa]] and [[Eurasia]] during the [[Middle Miocene|Middle]] to [[Late Miocene]], from 12.5 million to 9.1 million years ago. It is the animal from which the subfamily Machairodontinae gets its name. The type species of the genus, '''''M. aphanistus''''', was comparable to [[tigers]] in size making it an  [[apex predator]] of the ecosystems it inhabited. It is currently usually placed as one of the most basal members of the tribe [[Homotherini]], and the ancestor of later members of the tribe.

==History of research and taxonomy==
[[Image:Machairodus.png|thumb|upright|left|Early restoration by [[Lancelot Speed]] from 1905 depicting ''Machairodus'' with [[tiger]]-like markings. ]]
''Machairodus'' was first named in 1832, by German Naturalist [[Johann Jakob Kaup]]. Though its remains had been known since 1824, it was believed by [[Georges Cuvier]] that the fossils had come from a species of bear, which he called ''Ursus cultridens'' (known today as ''[[Megantereon]]'') based on composite sample of teeth from different countries, species and geologic ages, leading to what would become a long series of complications. Kaup however, recognized the teeth as those of felids and promptly reclassified the existing specimens as ''Machairodus'', including ''M. cultridens'' in it. The name quickly gained acceptance and by the end of the 19th century, many species of felid or related feliform (such as [[nimravids]]) were lumped into the genus ''Machairodus'', including but not limited to ''[[Sansanosmilus]]'', ''Megantereon'', ''[[Paramachairodus]]'', ''[[Amphimachairodus]]'', ''[[Nimravides]]'', and ''[[Homotherium]]'' among others. This would eventually turn ''Machairodus'' into something of a wastebasket taxon, which would be rectified with the discoveries of more complete skeletons of other machairodonts.{{sfnp|Antón|2013|pp=118–119}}

*''Machairodus irtyschensis'' and ''Machairodus ischimicus'' were described in 1936.<ref>{{Cite journal|author=J.A. Orlov |title=Tertiäre Raubtiere des westlichen Siberiens. I. Machairodontinae, Trav. Inst. Paléozool |journal=Acad. Sci. URSS |volume=5 |date=1936 |pages=111–152 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEHWEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA111|language=German}}</ref>
*''Machairodus robinsoni'' was described in 1976.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kurtén |first=B. |date=1976 |title=Fossil Carnivora from the Late Tertiary of Bled Douarah and Cherichira, Tunisia |journal=Notes du Service Géologique de Tunisie |volume=42 |pages=177–214}}</ref> It was at one point referred to the genus ''[[Miomachairodus]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Beaumont |first=G. de |date=1978 |title=Notes complementaires sur quelques fe´lide´s (Carnivores) |journal=Archives des Sciences, Gene've |volume=31 |pages=219–27}}</ref>
*''Machairodus laskarevi'' was described in 1978.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lungu |first1=A. N. |date=1978 |title=The Hipparion fauna of the middle Sarmatian of Moldavia (carnivorous mammals) |language=Russian |journal=Izd. Shtiintsa, Kishinev |pages=132}}</ref>
*''Machairodus alberdiae'' was first described in 1981,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ginsburg |first1=L. |last2=Morales |first2=J. |last3=Soria |first3=D. |date=1981 |title=Nuevos datos sobre los carnívoros de los Valles de Fuentidueña (Segovia) |journal=Estud Geol |volume=37 |pages=383–415 |language=Spanish}}</ref> and extensively compared and retained as valid in 2017.<ref name="Fernandez-Monesillo2017" />
*''Machairodus kurteni'' was described in 1991.<ref>{{Cite journal|jstor=23735460 |title=A new species of Machairodus from the late Miocene Kalmakpai locality in eastern Kazakhstan (USSR) |last1=Sotnikova |first1=M. V. |journal=Annales Zoologici Fennici |date=1991 |volume=28 |issue=3/4 |pages=361–369 }}</ref> It was later referred to the genus ''Amphimachairodus''.
Some of the most important fossils of ''Machairodus'' have come from the [[Cerro de los Batallones]] fossil site in Spain, which are filled caverns which predominantly carnivores became trapped within after entering probably looking for food or water, with the remains of the species ''Machairodus aphanistus'' representing roughtly 1/4 of all bones found at the Batallones-1 cavern at the site.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Domingo |first1=M. Soledad |last2=Alberdi |first2=M. Teresa |last3=Azanza |first3=Beatriz |last4=Silva |first4=Pablo G. |last5=Morales |first5=Jorge |date=2013-05-01 |editor-last=Farke |editor-first=Andrew A. |title=Origin of an Assemblage Massively Dominated by Carnivorans from the Miocene of Spain |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=8 |issue=5 |pages=e63046 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0063046 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3641116 |pmid=23650542|bibcode=2013PLoSO...863046D }}</ref>

The fossil species assigned to the genus ''Machairodus'' were divided by Turner into two grades of evolutionary development, with ''M. aphanistus'' and the North American "''Nimravides''" ''catacopis'' representing the more primitive grade and ''M. coloradensis'' and ''M. giganteus'' representing the more derived grade.<ref name="Turner">{{Cite book |last=Turner |first=Alan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=66mRJSxIAfoC |title=The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives |date=1997 |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |others=Illustrated by Mauricio Antón |isbn=978-0-231-10228-5 |pages=233}}</ref> The characteristics of the more advanced grade include a relative elongation of the forearm and a shortening of the lumbar region of the spine to resemble that in living pantherine cats.<ref name="Turner" /> Subsequently, the more derived forms were assigned a new genus, ''Amphimachairodus'', which includes ''M. coloradensis'', ''M. kurteni'', ''M. kabir'' and ''M. giganteus''{{sfnp|Antón|2013}} and recently ''M. horribilis''.<ref name="RuizRamoni2019">{{Cite journal |last1=Ruiz-Ramoni |first1=Damián |last2=Rincón |first2=Ascanio D. |last3=Montellano-Ballesteros |first3=Marisol |date=2020 |title=Taxonomic revision of a Machairodontinae (Felidae) from the Late Hemphillian of México |journal=Historical Biology |volume=32 |issue=10 |pages=1312–1319 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2019.1583750 |s2cid=91277834}}</ref> In addition, ''M. catacopsis'' and ''M. lahayishupup'' was reclassified as ''N. catacopsis''.<ref name="Jiangzuo2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Jiangzuo |first1=Qigao |last2=Li |first2=Shijie |last3=Deng |first3=Tao |date=2022 |title=Parallelism and lineage replacement of the late Miocene scimitar-toothed cats from the old and New World |url=https://www.cell.com/iscience/pdf/S2589-0042(22)01909-5.pdf |journal=iScience |volume=25 |issue=12 |page=105637 |bibcode=2022iSci...25j5637J |doi=10.1016/j.isci.2022.105637 |pmc=9730133 |pmid=36505925}}</ref>

Modern scholarship generally classifies ''Machairodus'' as one of the most basal members of the tribe [[Homotherini]] (with some authors retaining the name "Machairodontini" for the group<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jiangzuo |first1=Qigao |last2=Werdelin |first2=Lars |last3=Sanisidro |first3=Oscar |last4=Yang |first4=Rong |last5=Fu |first5=Jiao |last6=Li |first6=Shijie |last7=Wang |first7=Shiqi |last8=Deng |first8=Tao |date=2023-04-26 |title=Origin of adaptations to open environments and social behaviour in sabretoothed cats from the northeastern border of the Tibetan Plateau |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |language=en |volume=290 |issue=1997 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2023.0019 |issn=0962-8452 |pmc=10113030 |pmid=37072045}}</ref>).<ref name="AntónSalesa2013">{{cite journal |last1=Antón |first1=Mauricio |last2=Salesa |first2=Manuel J. |last3=Siliceo |first3=Gema |year=2013 |title=Machairodont adaptations and affinities of the Holarctic late Miocene homotherin Machairodus(Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae): the case of Machairodus catocopis Cope, 1887 |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=33 |issue=5 |pages=1202–1213 |bibcode=2013JVPal..33.1202A |doi=10.1080/02724634.2013.760468 |issn=0272-4634 |s2cid=86067845 |hdl=10261/93630}}</ref> ''Machairodus'' is thought to be a [[Paraphyly|paraphyletic]] [[evolutionary grade]] that is ancestral to ''Amphimachairodus'' (which is in turn ancestral to other homotheriines like ''Homotherium'').<ref name="jiangzuo etal 2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Jiangzuo |first1=Qigao |last2=Werdelin |first2=Lars |last3=Sun |first3=Yuanlin |date=May 2022 |title=A dwarf sabertooth cat (''Felidae'': ''Machairodontinae'') from Shanxi, China, and the phylogeny of the sabertooth tribe ''Machairodontini'' |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |language=en |volume=284 |at=Article 107517 |bibcode=2022QSRv..28407517J |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107517}}</ref>

''M. robinsoni'' is the earliest species within the genus, evolving during the late [[Middle Miocene]], around 12.5 [[Year|Ma]] in [[Tunisia]], and is the only currently recognized species within the genus that inhabited Africa. The oldest occurrence of ''M. aphanistus'' within Vallès-Penedès Basin was 10.4 Ma. With the youngest occurrence within MN10 localities, 9.1 Ma. The chronostratigraphic range of ''M. aphanistus'' within the basin correlates with its chronological distribution across Europe. The genus was later succeeded by ''A. giganteus'' during the early Turolian in Europe.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Malapeira |first1=J.M |last2=Robles |first2=J. M. |last3=Vilar |first3=I. C. |last4=Abella |first4=Juan |last5=Obradó |first5=Pau |last6=Alba |first6=D. M. |date=October 7, 2014 |title=The scimitar-toothed cat Machairodus aphanistus (Carnivora: Felidae) in the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula)Le chat à dents sabre Machairodus aphanistus (Carnivora : Felidae) dans le bassin de Vallès-Penedès (Nord-Est de la péninsule Ibérique) |journal=Comptes Rendus Palevol |volume=13 |issue=7 |doi=10.1016/j.crpv.2014.05.001 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Description==
[[File:Machairodus aphanistus - Cerro de los Batallones - Museo Arqueológico Regional CAM.JPG|left|thumb|''M. aphanistus'' skull]]''M. aphanistus'' from the [[Mediterranean]] late [[Miocene]] was comparable to a tiger in size<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Salesa |first1=Manuel J. |last2=Hernández |first2=Bárbara |last3=Marín |first3=Pilar |last4=Siliceo |first4=Gema |last5=Martínez |first5=Irene |last6=Antón |first6=Mauricio |last7=García-Real |first7=María Isabel |last8=Pastor |first8=Juan Francisco |last9=García-Fernández |first9=Rosa Ana |date=June 2024 |title=New insights on the ecology and behavior of Machairodus aphanistus (Carnivora, Felidae, Machairodontinae) through the paleopathological study of the fossil sample from the Late Miocene (Vallesian, MN 10) of Cerro de los Batallones (Torrejón de Velasco, Madrid, Spain) |journal=Journal of Mammalian Evolution |language=en |volume=31 |issue=2 |doi=10.1007/s10914-024-09721-8 |issn=1064-7554|doi-access=free }}</ref> and skeletal proportions, with a mass of {{convert|117-285|kg|lb|abbr=in}}, with an average mass of {{convert|153|kg|lb|abbr=in}}.<ref name=":2">{{cite journal |last1=Domingo |first1=Laura |last2=Domingo |first2=M. Soledad |last3=Koch |first3=Paul L. |last4=Alberdi |first4=M. Teresa |date=May 10, 2017 |title=Carnivoran resource and habitat use in the context of a Late Miocene faunal turnover episode |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.12296 |journal=Palaeontology |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=461-483}}</ref> It was similar to the related ''[[Nimravides]]'' of [[North America]]. The skeleton also indicates that this species would have possessed good jumping abilities.<ref>{{cite book |last=Turner|first=Alan|date=1997 |title=The Big Cats and their fossil relatives |url=https://archive.org/details/bigcatstheirfoss00turn|url-access=limited|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bigcatstheirfoss00turn/page/n62 45] |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=9780231102292}}</ref>

''M. alberdiae'' was contemporary with ''M. aphanistus'' in [[Cerro de los Batallones]] fossil deposits and was smaller and more primitive in anatomical features, and would not have exceeded {{convert|100|kg|lb|abbr=in}}.<ref name="Fernandez-Monesillo2017">{{cite journal |last1=Fernandez-Monescillo |first1=Marcos |last2=Anton |first2=Mauricio |last3=Salesa |first3=Manuel.J |year=2017 |title=Paleoecological implications of the sympatric distribution of two species of ''Machairodus'' (Felidae, Machairodontinae, Homotherini) in the Late Miocene of Los Valles de Fuentidueña (Segovia, Spain) |journal=Historical Biology |volume=31 |issue=7 |pages=903–913 |bibcode=2019HBio...31..903F |doi=10.1080/08912963.2017.1402894 |s2cid=135103217 |hdl-access=free |hdl=11336/57309}}</ref>

Overall, the skull of ''Machairodus'' was noticeably narrow compared with the skulls of [[neontology|extant]] [[Panthera|pantherine]] [[big cat|cat]]s, and the orbits were relatively small. The canines were long, thin and flattened from side to side but broad from front to back like the blade of a knife, as in ''Homotherium''. The front and back edges of the canines were serrated when they first grew, but these serrations were worn down in the first few years of the animal's life. 
[[File:Machairodus aphanistus - Batallones 1 - Museo Arqueológico Regional CAM.JPG|thumb|''M. aphanistus'' skeleton from [[Cerro de los Batallones]]]]

==Paleobiology==
[[File:Machairodus from Cerro de Batallones.png|thumb|left|[[Paleoart|Life restoration]]]]

=== Predatory behavior === 
''Machairodus'' probably hunted as an ambush predator. Its legs were too short to sustain a long chase, so it most likely was a good jumper. Its teeth were rooted to its mouth and were as delicate as those in some related genera, unlike most saber-toothed cats and nimravids of the time, which often had extremely long canines which hung out of their mouths. The fangs of ''Machairodus'', however, were able to more easily fit in its mouth comfortably while being long and effective for hunting.<ref name = "Legendre">{{Cite journal |last=Legendre |first=S. |author2=Roth, C. |title=Correlation of carnassial tooth size and body weight in recent carnivores (Mammalia) |journal=Historical Biology |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=85–98 |year=1988 |doi=10.1080/08912968809386468 |bibcode=1988HBio....1...85L }}</ref> Studies of ''Machairodus'' indicate that the cat relied predominantly on its neck muscles to make the killing bite applied to its victims. The cervical vertebrae show clear adaptations to making vertical motions in the neck and skull. There are also clear adaptations for precise movements, strength, and flexibility in the neck that show compatibility with the canine-shearing bite technique that machairodontine cats are believed to have performed. These adaptations are believed to have also been partial compensation in this primitive machairodont against the high percentage of canine breakages seen in the genus.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/188/1/319/5581941?redirectedFrom=fulltext|doi = 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz086|title = The early evolution of the sabre-toothed felid killing bite: The significance of the cervical morphology of Machairodus aphanistus (Carnivora: Felidae: Machairodontinae)|year = 2020|last1 = Antón|first1 = Mauricio|last2 = Siliceo|first2 = Gema|last3 = Pastor|first3 = Juan Francisco|last4 = Morales|first4 = Jorge|last5 = Salesa|first5 = Manuel J.|journal = Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume = 188|pages = 319–342|doi-access = free}}</ref>

It is estimated that a {{cvt|136.8|kg}} ''M. aphanistus'' had a bite force of {{cvt|1,077.4|N|lbf|disp=or}} at the canines.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Christiansen |first=P. |year=2007 |title=Comparative bite forces and canine bending strength in feline and sabretooth felids: implications for predatory ecology |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=151 |issue=2 |pages=423–437 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00321.x |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Pathology ===
''M. aphanistus'' fossils recovered from Batallones reveal a high percentage of tooth breakages, indicating that unlike later machairodonts, due to a lack of protruding incisors ''Machairodus'' often used its sabers to subdue prey in a manner similar to modern cats; this was a more risky strategy that virtually ensured that damage to their saber teeth often occurred.{{sfnp|Antón|2013|pp=183–184}} ''M. aphanistus'' fossils from Batallones displaying palaeopathologies also include a [[calcaneus]] displaying evidence of either a [[Neoplasm|tumour]] or [[osteomyelitis]], a third metacarpal displaying signs of [[osteosclerosis]], and a mandible with an abscess in the mandibular body.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal |last1=Salesa |first1=Manuel J. |last2=Hernández |first2=Bárbara |last3=Marín |first3=Pilar |last4=Siliceo |first4=Gema |last5=Martínez |first5=Irene |last6=Antón |first6=Mauricio |last7=García-Real |first7=María Isabel |last8=Pastor |first8=Juan Francisco |last9=García-Fernández |first9=Rosa Ana |date=31 May 2024 |title=New insights on the ecology and behavior of Machairodus aphanistus (Carnivora, Felidae, Machairodontinae) through the paleopathological study of the fossil sample from the Late Miocene (Vallesian, MN 10) of Cerro de los Batallones (Torrejón de Velasco, Madrid, Spain) |journal=[[Journal of Mammalian Evolution]] |language=en |volume=31 |issue=2 |doi=10.1007/s10914-024-09721-8 |issn=1064-7554 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Social behavior ===
''M. aphanistus'' shows a high degree of sexual dimorphism similar to [[Lion|lions]] and [[Leopard|leopards]], with males being larger than females, suggesting an increase in competition and low tolerance among males. Their high levels of sexual dimorphism would also suggest territories of males did not overlap with each other. The authors concluded that due to solitary behavior being common among modern felids, ''M. aphanistus'' would be assumed to be a solitary animal as well.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1671/0272-4634(2004)024[0957:FKCSOT]2.0.CO;2|issn=0272-4634 |date=2004 |volume=24 |page=957 |title=First known complete skulls of the scimitar-toothed cat ''Machairodus aphanistus'' (Felidae, Carnivora) from the Spanish late Miocene site of Batallones-1 |last1=Anton |first1=Mauricio |last2=Salesa |first2=Manuel J. |last3=Morales |first3=Jorge |last4=Turner |first4=Alan |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |issue=4 }}</ref> A 2024 paper on pathological analysis of ''M. aphanistus'' suggested that indication of survival of severe injuries, such as broken mandibles, could be evidence of some social structure. This was further supported based on modern day felids, as solitary felids with high levels of sexual dimorphism such as leopards typically die before severe injuries managed to heal, being unable to hunt for themselves or sustain themselves on carrion long-term. Lions, however, have a greater chance of survival, due to living in prides. Considering the high levels of sexual dimorphism in this species of ''Machairodus'', this would likely indicate higher levels of intolerance to other individuals within their territory. It was summarized that unlike lions, they would not have formed prides as they lived in wooded environments, unlike the open landscapes inhabited by lions. Instead, ''M. aphanistus'' would have formed coalitions of two or more individuals that protected a large area, including territories of multiple females.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> 

==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>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* {{cite book|last=Antón|first=Mauricio|title=Sabertooth|date=2013|publisher=University of Indiana Press|location=Bloomington, Indiana|isbn=9780253010421}}

{{Machairodontinae}}
{{Taxonbar|from1=Q1274400|from2=Q4043537|from3=Q122231736|from4=Q106708388|from5=Q107398024}}

[[Category:Neogene mammals of Africa]]
[[Category:Neogene mammals of Asia]]
[[Category:Machairodontinae]]
[[Category:Miocene carnivorans]]
[[Category:Miocene genus extinctions]]
[[Category:Prehistoric carnivoran genera]]
[[Category:Neogene mammals of Europe]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Jakob Kaup]]
[[Category:Fossil taxa described in 1833]]