Prehistoric Cat

Jun 30 2012, 06:30 AM

mikeBRZ

Jul 5 2012, 06:01 AM

I think it that's because the belief in Paraceratherium being 5.5m tall held for so long as well as mammoths as big as 4.9+ that to think a 4.5m deinotherium belongs there didn't cross the mind of much people, but with paraceratheirum being only 4.8 and of gracile build and the largest mammoth being "only" 4.5m. there's really no excuse to exclude it anymore.

I wish someone would make another documentary like walking with beasts, and featured deinotherium much more, it really is an impressive animal.

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Barbourofelis fricki was likely much heavier than any extant cat. Extinct animals are often described as "lion-sized" or something similar based off of limb or body lengths, but robustly built animals like Barbourofelis weigh much more given the same limb or body lengths.

Below are humerus lengths and widths of Barbourofelis loverum, a smaller relative of Barbourofelis fricki, and living lions. The lion sample is based off of a roughly equal amount of males and females while the Barbourofelis loverum sample is based off a mix of males and females (its difficult to determine the sex of extinct species with limited remains available). Barbourofelis's humerus averages 270.5 mm x 37.7 mm (anterioposterior diameter at midshaft) while the extant lion averages 285.6 mm x 36.5 mm. Given that limb width is a better estimate of body mass, this indicates that Brbourfelis loverum weighed more than extant lions (assuming the samples are of similar types of individuals).






Barbourofelis fricki was much larger than Barbourofelis loverum. The following study by Francois Therrien on mandiable or lower jaw strength gives lower jaw dimensions of various species.



Barbourofelis fricki's lower jaw is 24.31 cm while Barbouofelis loverum's lower jaw is 17.6 cm. If we assume lower jaw length scales to body mass like most body dimensions, we can take the cube of the size difference between the two species to roughly estimate Barbourofelis fricki's weight. Barbouofelis fricki's lower jaw is 1.38 (24.31/17.6) times the size of Barbourofelis loverum's lower jaw, and it should weigh 2.64 [(1.38)^3] times as much as Barbourofelis loverum. If we assume Barbourofelis loverum weighs roughly the same as the the average of male and female lions (say 340 lbs.), then Barbourofelis fricki would weigh 898 lbs. (2.64*340 lbs.). Alternatively, we can do the same calculation relative to Smilodon populator from the same chart. Barbourofelis fricki's lower jaw is 1.09 times larger than Smilodon populator's lower jaw, which equaltes to it weighing 1.3 times as much. The average weight from Per Christiansen's body mass estimates for Smilodon populator are 290 KG or 638 lbs. If we multiply 1.3 times 638 lbs. Barbourofelis fricki's body mass is 829 lbs.

Either way Barbourofelis looks like it was a huge animal.

keyser.soze

Jul 8 2012, 01:32 AM

Ok, do a Smilodon populator with a smaller skull.