Dinofelis is a sabre-tooth cat from a group often known as the 'false sabre tooths' as they had small sabres that were not as flattened and knife-like as those of other sabre-tooth groups, and were more like those of the group to which modern cats belong, which have conical teeth.

Meaning of scientific name
"terrible cat"

Pronunciation of scientific name
dy-noh-FEE-liss

Statistics
0.7m at the shoulder.

Physical description
One of the big, sabre-toothed cats, there were several species of Dinofelis across North America, Europe and Asia as well as Africa. They were built rather like a modern jaguar, but with more powerful front legs.

Distribution
Dinofelis is relatively rare, but its remains are found in many of the hominid fossil sites in Africa as well as sites in N America, Asia and Europe.

Habitat
The patchy woodland and savannah across Eurasia, Africa and North America.

Diet
Carnivorous - especially eating antelope, baboons and australopithecines.

Behaviour
Dinofelis' powerful front legs meant that it probably ambushed its prey and used the front legs to hold it down firmly whilst it made a clean kill with its teeth.

Conservation status
Extinct.

History
They lived 5-1.4 million years ago.

Closest relative
The sabre-tooth group is extinct, but is closely related to modern cats.