| Albanosmilus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cranium ofAlbanosmilus 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 extinctgenus of the subfamilyBarbourofelinae, part of the family of feliforms known asNimravidae.[1] The genus currently consists of two named species:Albanosmilus jourdani andAlbanosmilus whitfordi.Albanosmilus lived inEurasia andNorth America from theMiddle toLate Miocene from 12 to 7mya, making it one of the last nimravids.[2][3] The genus may have been ancestral toBarbourofelis.
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 ajaguar and smaller thanBarbourofelis. LikeBarbourofelis,A. jourdani was believed to have been an ambulatory,ambush predator and was likely anapex predator of its ecosystem.A. whitfordi was endemic to North America and was smaller in size, more similar in size aleopard. UnlikeA. jourdani,A. whitfordi was believed to have been acursorial predator. In addition,Albanosmilus was also recovered in East Asia.
Bryant in his 1991 consideredAlbanosmilus as a member of the falsesabre-toothed cat familyNimravidae.[4] However,Albanosmilus was eventually considered part of the Barbourofelidae, where it was considered synonymous toSansanosmilus. By 2013, this was refuted as the authors argued it had features that differed fromSansanosmilus such as larger size, more reduced p3, and displaying a double fused or single root. It also had features differed fromBarbourofelis including the presence of a mesial cingulum cusp in P3 and lack of metaconid in m1. In the addition, the authors also movedBarbourofelis whitfordi to the genusAlbanosmilus.[2]
In the 2020s, majority of experts reclassified barbourofelids as nimravids, either as a subfamily known as Barbourofelinae, or within the subfamilyNimravine.[5][6][7][8][9][1][10]
According to recent phylogenetic analysis, Barbourofelins likely evolved whenNimravinae dispersed intoAfrica. Their size was likely constrained due to the diversity ofhyaenodonts that roamed continent. Despite this, they were still able to carve a niche due to their dental morphology. Eventually they would disperse into Eurasia and North America.[7] During the late Middle Miocene,A. jourdani replacedSansanosmilus in Europe.[11]
A. jourdani may have migrated into North America and evolved into the genusBarbourofelis and the speciesA. whitfordi.[12]
Albanosmilus jourdani is estimated to have weighed around 80–100 kg (180–220 lb),[13][14] one study suggested this species could've even exceeded 100 kg (220 lb).[15] Making it one of the largestnimravids, just behindBarbourofelis,Dinailurictis,Eusmilus adelos, andQuercylurus.
A. whitfordi was considered to be similar in size toB. morrisi, which was as large as aleopard.[16][17] A 2024 study found based on m1 regressions estimated thatA. whitfordi could've weighed 72.8 kg (160 lb).[18]Including supplementary materials
Albanosmilus is speculated to either have been apack or solitary hunter.[13][14] A 2020 study estimated thatA. jourdani had a jaw gape of 90 degrees.[19]Including supplementary materials Coprolites likely referable to this genus were described in 2023, which may suggest thatAlbanosmilus was an apex predator in this locality. Presumably, like other carnivorans that weighed over 25 kg (55 lb), it probably hunted herbivores its size or larger. Due to the lack of bone fragments, it's suggested that the diet ofAlbanosmilus largely consisted of meat, which is consistent with its hypercarnviorous dentition and presumed nutrients.[14] WhileA. jourdani was recovered as anambush, ambulatory predator,[14][15]A. whitfordi has been recovered as acursorial predator based on elbow morphology.[20]
Albanosmilus jourdani was found in Eurasia, and lived from 11.9-9.1 Ma.[13][7]Including supplementary materials This species was found inGratkorn, it coexisted with herbivores such as would includeequidAnchitherium,suids such asParachleuastochoerus steinheimensis andlistriodontinaeListriodon splendens,palaeomerycidaePalaeomeryx,chalicotheriidaeChalicotherium,aceratheriinae rhinosAceratherium,Brachypotherium andLartetotherium, anddeinotheriinae proboscideanDeinotherium. The contemporarycarnivoran within this locality was the hyenaProtictitherium, both carnivores would've coexisted by hunting prey of different sizes. Based on the coprolites, equid, suids, and palaeomerycids were probable prey forAlbanosmilus. While on the other hand, chalicotheres, rhinos, and proboscideans were would've been improbable prey, with social hunting comparable tolion prides being required to hunt young proboscideans. On the other hand, there is possible evidence ofAlbanosmilus scavenging onDeinotherium.[14]
Within Los Valles de Fuentidueña,A. jourdani coexisted with carnivorans includingfelids such as the basalPseudaelurus quadridentatus andmachairodontMachairodus aphanistus,amphicyoninaeMagericyon castellanus, andictitheriinae hyenaLycyaenachaeretis. Herbivores within this locality includehipparionini equidHippotherium primigenium, aceratheriinae rhinosAceratherium incisivum andAlicornops simorrense,bovidMiotragocerus,cervidEuprox dicranocerus,tragulidDorcatheriumnaui,giraffidDecennatherium pachecoi, and "tetralophodontgomphothere"Tetralophodon longirostris. Isotopic analysis showsAlbanosmilus hunted in woodland to mesic grasslands and preyed uponHippotherium,Miotragocerus,Euprox,Dorcatherium, andChalicomys.Miotragocerus was found to make the greatest contribution to its diet whileDorcatherium was the least contributor. They also found that the megaherbivores were unlikely to have been frequent prey items by any of the carnivorans. The isotopic values also showed that there was a significant niche overlap between large predators within LVF, which strongly suggests resource competition, this is further supported by the density of large predators and low density of small and medium herbivores.[13]Including supplementary materials
Within the Dashengou Fauna of the Linxia Basin,Albanosmilus coexisted with a number of large carnivorans such as the largepercrocutid hyenaDinocrocuta gigantea, machairodontsAmphimachairodus hezhengensis andMachairodus aphanistus, and two unnamedagriotheriini bears.Dinocrocuta was the most abundant carnivore found within this fauna found to be the most common carnivoran within this fauna and was likely a top predator within the fauna.Albanosmilus was rather rare, making up 6.2% of the carnivorans present.[21][22] Herbivores within this fauna include rhinoceros such asAcerorhinus hezhengensis,Chilotherium wimani, andIranotherium morgani,suidChleuastochoerusstehlini, cervidDicrocerus, bovidMiotragocerus, giraffidsHonanotheriumschlosseri andSamotherium, and proboscideanTetralophodon exoletus.[23] Due to the abundance of hypercarnivorous cursorial and non-cursorial terrestrial predators, suggests that the Linxia Basin environment was always relatively open.[22]
Albanosmilus jourdani disappeared from theIberian Peninsula around 9.1Ma. Within the Linxia Basin,Albanosmilus went extinct 8.5 Ma, and in North America,A. whitfordi went extinct around 7 Ma.[13][16][7][22] Some have hypothesized that the extinction of barbourofelines, such asAlbanosmilus, was due to competition with sabertooth cats such asMachairodus andNimravides.[24][13] However, this hypothesis has been questioned as their temporal overlap was limited.[6][7] In addition,Albanosmilus was able to successfully coexist with bothAmphimachairodus andMachairodus within Linxia Basin and Los Valles de Fuentidueña.[21][13]
Other experts argue the more likely cause of their extinction was faunal overturns during the Late Miocene.[25][26][7]Albanosmilus’ extinction in the Iberian Peninsula was contemporary with Vallesian-Turolian turnover event, also known as theVallesian Crisis. Which saw an increase of precipitation of seasonality, which gave way for drier, more open environments, suggestingAlbanosmilus wasn’t adapted to the drier, open environments.[13]