Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction to Carnivora
- 2 Phylogeny of the Carnivora and Carnivoramorpha, and the use of the fossil record to enhance understanding of evolutionary transformations
- 3 Phylogeny of the Viverridae and ‘Viverrid-like’ feliforms
- 4 Molecular and morphological evidence for Ailuridae and a review of its genera
- 5 The influence of character correlations on phylogenetic analyses: a case study of the carnivoran cranium
- 6 What's the difference? A multiphasic allometric analysis of fossil and living lions
- 7 Evolution in Carnivora: identifying a morphological bias
- 8 The biogeography of carnivore ecomorphology
- 9 Comparative ecomorphology and biogeography of Herpestidae and Viverridae (Carnivora) in Africa and Asia
- 10 Ecomorphological analysis of carnivore guilds in the Eocene through Miocene of Laurasia
- 11 Ecomorphology of North American Eocene carnivores: evidence for competition between Carnivorans and Creodonts
- 12 Morphometric analysis of cranial morphology in pinnipeds (Mammalia, Carnivora): convergence, ecology, ontogeny, and dimorphism
- 13 Tiptoeing through the trophics: geographic variation in carnivoran locomotor ecomorphology in relation to environment
- 14 Interpreting sabretooth cat (Carnivora; Felidae; Machairodontinae) postcranial morphology in light of scaling patterns in felids
- 15 Cranial mechanics of mammalian carnivores: recent advances using a finite element approach
- Index
- Plates
- References
14 - Interpreting sabretooth cat (Carnivora; Felidae; Machairodontinae) postcranial morphology in light of scaling patterns in felids
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2014
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction to Carnivora
- 2 Phylogeny of the Carnivora and Carnivoramorpha, and the use of the fossil record to enhance understanding of evolutionary transformations
- 3 Phylogeny of the Viverridae and ‘Viverrid-like’ feliforms
- 4 Molecular and morphological evidence for Ailuridae and a review of its genera
- 5 The influence of character correlations on phylogenetic analyses: a case study of the carnivoran cranium
- 6 What's the difference? A multiphasic allometric analysis of fossil and living lions
- 7 Evolution in Carnivora: identifying a morphological bias
- 8 The biogeography of carnivore ecomorphology
- 9 Comparative ecomorphology and biogeography of Herpestidae and Viverridae (Carnivora) in Africa and Asia
- 10 Ecomorphological analysis of carnivore guilds in the Eocene through Miocene of Laurasia
- 11 Ecomorphology of North American Eocene carnivores: evidence for competition between Carnivorans and Creodonts
- 12 Morphometric analysis of cranial morphology in pinnipeds (Mammalia, Carnivora): convergence, ecology, ontogeny, and dimorphism
- 13 Tiptoeing through the trophics: geographic variation in carnivoran locomotor ecomorphology in relation to environment
- 14 Interpreting sabretooth cat (Carnivora; Felidae; Machairodontinae) postcranial morphology in light of scaling patterns in felids
- 15 Cranial mechanics of mammalian carnivores: recent advances using a finite element approach
- Index
- Plates
- References
Summary
Introduction
Reconstructing the behaviour and ecology of extinct felids, especially that of machairodontine felids, has been of great interest within the field of vertebrate paleontology. The anatomical design of these animals has been investigated with respect to dental function and prey acquisition behaviour, and, to a lesser degree, locomotion.
Few large felids exist today, and machairodontine felids were sometimes even larger than the largest extant felids, lions and tigers. This leads to the question of how much of the morphology observed in large machairodontines is simply an extension of size-related shape trends observed in modern felids. That is, to what extent are the morphological differences between machairodontines and smaller extant felids due to differences in size? Which extinct forms appear to be scaled-up versions of smaller felids, and which ones exhibit morphology indicative of functional differences?
This preliminary study investigates machairodontine postcranial morphology in light of scaling patterns in extant felids and examines how well trends in smaller extant felids predict the morphology of larger felids. We also look for any overall trends in machairodontine postcranial morphology that unite them as a group, much like the possession of machairodont dentition does.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Carnivoran EvolutionNew Views on Phylogeny, Form and Function, pp. 411 - 465Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010
References
(1977). Allometry of the limbs of antelopes (Bovidae). Journal of Zoology (London), 183, 125–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (1979). Allometry of the limb bones of mammals from shrews (Sorex) to elephants (Loxodonta). Journal of Zoology, 189, 305–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (1992). Locomotion and bone strength of the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Journal of Zoology (London), 227, 63–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, and (1985). Long-bone circumference and weight in mammals, birds and dinosaurs. Journal of Zoology, London, 207, 53–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2004). Predicting carnivoran body mass from a weight-bearing joint. Journal of Zoology, London, 262, 161–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2003). Notes on the reconstructions of fossil vertebrates from Lothagam. In Lothagam: Dawn of Humanity in East Africa, ed. and . New York, NY: Columbia University Press, pp. 661–65.Google Scholar
, and (2005). Co-existence of scimitar-toothed cats, lions and hominins in the European Pleistocene. Implications of the post-cranial anatomy of Homotherium latidens (Owen) for comparative palaeoecology. Quaternary Science Reviews, 24, 1287–301.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1993). Body mass in large extant and extinct carnivores. Journal of Zoology, London, 231, 339–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1963). Monographie d'un Machairodus du Gisement villafranchien de Senèze: Homotherium crenatidens Fabrini. Travaux du Laboratoire de Géologie de la Faculté des Sciences de Lyon, 9, 1–129.Google Scholar
(1964). Remarques sur la classification des Felidae. Ecologae Geologicae Helvetiae, 57, 837–45.Google Scholar
(1978). Notes complémentaires sur quelques félidés (Carnivores). Archives des Sciences, Genève, 31, 219–27.Google Scholar
(1987). The sabercat Smilodon gracilis from Florida and a discussion of its relationships (Mammalia, Felidae, Smilodontini). Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences, 31, 1–63.Google Scholar
and (1983). Megantereon hesperus from the late Hemphillian of Florida with remarks on the phylogenetic relationships of machairodonts (Mammalia, Felidae, Machairodontinae). Journal of Paleontology, 57, 892–99.Google Scholar
and (1990). Differential scaling of the long bones in the terrestrial Carnivora and other mammals. Journal of Morphology, 204, 157–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1983). Allometry of quadrupedal locomotion: the scaling of duty factor, bone curvature and limb orientation to body size. Journal of Experimental Biology, 105, 147–71.Google ScholarPubMed
and (1986). Bone strain: a determinant of gait and speed?Journal of Experimental Biology, 123, 383–400.Google ScholarPubMed
(2000). Interspecific scaling of the hindlimb skeleton in lizards, crocodilians, felids and canids: does limb bone shape correlate with limb posture?Journal of Zoology, 250, 507–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (1985). Scaling of bone mass to body mass in insectivores and rodents. In Functional Morphology in Vertebrates, ed. and . Stuttgart: Gustav Fischer Verlag. pp. 61–64.Google Scholar
, and (1987). Allometry of the limb long bones of insectivores and rodents. Journal of Morphology, 192, 113–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1999a). Long bone scaling and limb posture in non-avian theropods: evidence for differential allometry. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 19, 666–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1999b). Scaling of mammalian long bones: small and large mammals compared. Journal of Zoology (London), 247, 333–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1999c). Scaling of the limb long bones to body mass in terrestrial mammals. Journal of Morphology, 239, 167–90.3.0.CO;2-8>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (2007). Osteology and ecology of Megantereon cultridens SE311 (Mammalia; Felidae; Machairodontinae), a sabrecat from the Late Pliocene–Early Pleistocene of Senèze, France. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 151, 833–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2005). Body size of Smilodon (Mammalia: Felidae). Journal of Morphology, 266, 369–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (1977). Primate ecology and social organization. Journal of Zoology, London, 183, 1–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1991). Dinofelis barlowi (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) cranial material from Bolt's Farm, collected by the University of California African Expedition. Palaeontologia Africana, 28, 9–21.Google Scholar
and (1988). The first individual skeleton of Smilodon from Rancho La Brea. Current Research in the Pleistocene, 5, 66–67.Google Scholar
and (1985). Canonical and principal components of shape. Biometrika, 72, 241–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2007). Interspecific scaling of the morphology and posture of the limbs during the locomotion of cats (Felidae). Journal of Experimental Biology, 210, 642–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (1999). Current research on the Late Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits north of Homa Mountain southwestern Kenya. Journal of Human Evolution, 36, 123–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, and (1989). Stratigraphic context of fossil hominids from the Omo Group deposits: northern Turkana basin, Kenya and Ethiopia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 78, 595–622.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (2004). On the scaling of mammalian long bones. Journal of Experimental Biology, 207, 1577–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1990). Prediction of body mass in mammalian species from long bone lengths and diameters. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, 28, 79–92.Google Scholar
(1976). Pleistocene and Holocene Mammals, Taphonomy, and Paleoecology of the Friesenhahn Cave Local Fauna, Bexar County, Texas. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Texas, Austin.Google Scholar
and (1991). The Comparative Method in Evolutionary Biology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
and (1998). Skeletal allometry and interlimb scaling patterns in mustelid carnivorans. Journal of Morphology, 235, 121–34.3.0.CO;2-C>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1972). Uncia uncia. Mammalian Species, 20, 1–5.
(1974). The late Cenozoic Carnivora of the south-western Cape Province. Annals of the South African Museum, 63, 1–369.Google Scholar
(1981). Palaeoecology of the late Tertiary fossil occurrences in ‘E’ Quarry, Langebaanweg, South Africa, and a reinterpretation of their geological context. Annals of the South African Museum, 84, 1–104.Google Scholar
(1944). Speed in Animals, Their Specialization for Running and Leaping. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
. (2001). Florida's fossil vertebrates, an overview. In The Fossil Vertebrates of Florida, ed. . Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, pp. 25–33.Google Scholar
, , , et al. (2006). The Late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment. Science, 311, 73–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1979). Locomotion, limb proportions, and skeletal allometry in lemurs and lorises. Folia Primatologia, 32, 8–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1984a). Aspects of size and scaling in primate biology with special reference to the locomotor skeleton. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 27, 73–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1984b). Scaling of the hominoid locomotor skeleton with special reference to lesser apes. In The Lesser Apes: Evolutionary and Behavioural Biology. ed. , , , and . Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 146–69.Google Scholar
, and (1995). Shape, relative size, and size-adjustments in morphometrics. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 38, 137–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2007). The mammalian fauna associated with an archaic hominin skullcap and later Acheulean artifacts at Elandsfontein, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution, 52, 164–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1929). Feliden-Studien. A Magyar Királyi Földtani Intézet Hazinyomdaja, 24, 1–22.
(1963). Notes on some Pleistocene mammal migrations from the Palaearctic to the Nearctic. Eiszeitalter und Gegenwart, 14, 96–103.Google Scholar
(2000). Patterns of sexual dimorphism in the joint surfaces of the elbow and knee of catarrhine primates. PhD thesis, State University of New York at Stony Brook.Google Scholar
(2009). Patterns of knee joint shape dimorphism in guenons (Cercopithecus) reflect interspecific scaling trends among cercopithecoid monkeys. American Journal of Physical Anthropology Supplement, 48, 172.Google Scholar
(1995). Plio-Pleistocene carnivoran guilds: implications for hominid paleoecology. PhD thesis, State University of New York at Stony Brook.Google Scholar
(1997). Carnivoran paleoguilds of Africa: implications for hominid food procurement strategies. Journal of Human Evolution, 32, 257–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(2001). Implications of interspecific variation in the postcranial skeleton of Homotherium (Felidae, Machairodontinae). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 21, 73A.Google Scholar
and (2007). Patterns of change in the Plio-Pleistocene carnivorans of eastern Africa: implications for hominin evolution. In Hominin Environments in the East African Pliocene: An Assessment of the Faunal Evidence, ed. , and . The Netherlands: Springer-Verlag, pp. 77–105.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (1995). Paleoanthropological and paleoecological implications of the taphonomy of a sabertooth's den. Journal of Human Evolution, 29, 515–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1980). Functional morphology and the evolution of cats. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, 8, 141–54.Google Scholar
, and (1988). Saber-toothed cats from the Plio-Pleistocene of Nebraska. Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences, XVI, 153–63.
, , and (2000). Three ways to be a saber-toothed cat. Naturwissenschaften, 87, 41–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(2001). Anthropoid cranial base architecture and scaling relationships. Journal of Human Evolution, 40, 41–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1975). Allometry and biomechanics: limb bones of adult ungulates. American Naturalist, 107, 547–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1941). El Smilodon bonaërensis (Muñiz). Estudio osteológico y osteométrico del gran tigre de La Pampa comparado con otros félidos actuales y fósiles. Annales del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, 40, 135–252.Google Scholar
and . (1995). Overview of the geology and vertebrate biochronology of the Leisey Shell Pit local fauna, Hillsborough County, Florida. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History, 37, 1–92.Google Scholar
and (1998). Facial growth in Cercocebus torquatus: an application of three-dimensional geometric morphometric techniques to the study of morphological variation. Journal of Anatomy, 198, 251–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2006). Contours of the hominoid lateral tibial condyle with implications for Australopithecus. Journal of Human Evolution, 51, 113–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1969). Predator–prey relationships amongst the larger mammals of the Kruger National Park. Koedoe, 12, 108–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1961). Les Carnivores. Traité de Paléontologie, Tome VI, Vol. 1, ed. . Paris: Masson et Cie, pp. 641–820.Google Scholar
and (1985). Influence of size and proportions on the biomechanics of brachiation. In Size and Scaling in Primate Biology, ed. . New York, NY: Plenum Press, pp. 383–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (1982). Allometry and ecology of middle Miocene dwarf rhinoceroses from the Texas Gulf coastal plain. Paleobiology, 8, 16–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1992). The scimitar cat Homotherium serum Cope: osteology, functional morphology, and predatory behavior. Illinois State Museum Reports of Investigations, 47, 1–80.Google Scholar
(1987). Structural allometry of the femur and tibia in Hominoidea in Primates. Folia Primatologia, 48, 9–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2000). Body size, body shape and long bone strength in modern humans. Journal of Human Evolution, 38, 269–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (1992). Primate limb bone structural adaptations. Annual Review of Anthropology, 21, 407–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1985). Allometric trends and locomotor adaptations in the Bovidae. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 179, 197–288.Google Scholar
(1990). Postcranial dimensions as predictors of body mass. Body Size in Mammalian Paleobiology: Estimation and Biological Implications, ed. and . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 301–55.Google Scholar
and (2008). Long in the tooth: evolution of sabertooth cat cranial shape. Paleobiology, 34, 403–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1994). Degrees of freedom in interspecific allometry: an adjustment for the effects of phylogenetic constraint. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 93, 95–107.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (1997). The Big Cats and their Fossil Relatives: An Illustrated Guide to their Evolution and Natural History. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
(1990). Skeletal and dental predictors of body mass in carnivores. In Body Size in Mammalian Paleobiology: Estimation and Biological Implications, ed. , and . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 181–205.Google Scholar
(1994). The age of Lucy and the First Family: single crystal 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Denen Dora and lower Kada Hadar Members of the Hadar Formation, Ethiopia. Geology, 22, 6–10.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(1983). Morphological patterns in the skull of cats. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 19, 375–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2003). Mio-Pliocene Carnivora from Lothagam, Kenya. In Lothagam: The Dawn of Humanity in Eastern Africa, ed. and . New York, NY: Columbia University Press, pp. 261–678.Google Scholar
and (2001). A revision of the genus Dinofelis (Mammalia, Felidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 132, 147–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2005). Plio-Pleistocene Carnivora of eastern Africa: species richness and turnover patterns. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 144, 121–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (in press). Felid phylogeny and evolution. In The Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids, ed. and . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- 16
- Cited by