Albanosmilus

Bryant in his 1991 considered Albanosmilusas a member of the false sabre-toothed cat family Nimravidae.{{Cite journal|last1=Bryant |first1=H. N.|date=1991|title=Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of the Nimravidae (Carnivora)|journal=Journal of Mammalogy|doi=10.2307/1381980 |jstor=1381980 }} However, Albanosmilus was eventually considered part of the Barbourofelidae, where it was considered synonymous to Sansanosmilus. By 2013, this was refuted and was considered a valid genus with two species: Albanosmilus jourdani, the type species (with synonyms Albanosmilus vallesiensis, Barbourofelis vallesiensis) and Albanosmilus whitfordi (with synonyms Barbourofelis whitfordi). In the recent years, some studies suggest Barbourofelidae were actually members of the Nimravidae, under the subfamily Barbourofelinae.{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=Xiaoming |last2=White |first2=Stuart C. |last3=Guan |first3=Jian |title=A new genus and species of sabretooth, Oriensmilus liupanensis (Barbourofelinae, Nimravidae, Carnivora), from the middle Miocene of China suggests barbourofelines are nimravids, not felids |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |date=2 May 2020 |volume=18 |issue=9 |pages=783–803 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2019.1691066 |s2cid=211545222 |url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0g62362j }}{{Cite journal |last1=Barrett |first1=P. Z. |last2=Hopkins |first2=W. S. B. |last3=Price |first3=S. A. |year=2021 |title=How many sabertooths? Reevaluating the number of carnivoran sabertooth lineages with total-evidence Bayesian techniques and a novel origin of the Miocene Nimravidae |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=e1923523 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2021.1923523 |s2cid=236221655}}{{cite journal |last1=Barrett |first1=Paul Zachary |date=26 October 2021 |title=The largest hoplophonine and a complex new hypothesis of nimravid evolution |journal=Scientific Reports |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=21078 |bibcode=2021NatSR..1121078B |doi=10.1038/s41598-021-00521-1 |pmc=8548586 |pmid=34702935 |s2cid=240000358 |doi-access=free}}

According to recent phylogenetic analysis, Barbourofelins likely evolved when Nimravinae taxa migrated into Africa at MN2. Their size was likely constrained by the presence of large Hyaenodonta that roamed Africa. Eventually they would disperse into Eurasia and North America.

A. jourdani may have migrated into North America and evolved into the genus Barbourofelis and the species A. whitfordi.{{cite journal |author=Michael Morlo |title=New remains of Barbourofelidae from the Miocene of Southern Germany: implications for the history of barbourid migrations |journal=Beiträge zur Paläontologie, Wien |volume=30 |pages=339–346 |year=2006 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233791187}}

==Description==

A. jourdani could weigh around {{convert|80|-|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, making it one of the largest members within Barbourofelidae, just behind Barbourofelis fricki. A. whitfordi is described to be smaller than the North American species of Barbourofelis.{{cite journal |last1=Tseng |first1=Z. Jack |last2=Takeuchi |first2=Gary T. |last3=Wang |first3=Xiaoming |date=January 2010 |title=Discovery of the Upper Dentitle of Brbourofelis whitfordi (Nimravidae, Carnivora) and an Evaluation of the Genus in California |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=244-254 |doi=10.1080/02724630903416001 |doi-access=free}}

Domingo and colleagues suggest based on isotopic values, A. jourdani and Machairodus aphanistus were specialized on different prey even if they inhabit similar habitats.{{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 |journal=Palaeontology |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=461-483 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.12296}} Coprolites likely referable to this genus were described in 2023, which may suggest that Albanosmilus was an apex predator in this locality.{{Cite journal |last=Gross |first=Martin |last2=Prieto |first2=Jérôme |last3=Grímsson |first3=Friðgeir |last4=Bojar |first4=Hans-Peter |date=2023-07-26 |title=Hyena and ‘false’ sabre-toothed cat coprolites from the late Middle Miocene of south-eastern Austria |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08912963.2023.2237979 |journal=Historical Biology |language=en |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2023.2237979 |issn=0891-2963}}

A. jourdani disappeared from the Iberian Peninsula around 9.1 Ma, while A. whitfordi went extinct around 7 Ma. Some have hypothesized that its extinction was due to competition with sabertooth cats such as Machairodus and Nimravides.{{cite book |last=Antón |first=Mauricio |author-link=Mauricio Antón |title=Sabertooth |date=2013 |publisher=University of Indiana Press |isbn=9780253010421 |location=Bloomington, Indiana |page=90}} However, this hypothesis has been questioned as their temporal overlap was limited. An unnamed species was also able to successfully compete with both Machairodus and Amphimachairodus in Linxia Basin.{{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}}

Other experts argue the more likely cause of their extinction was faunal overturns during the Late Miocene, due to the expansion of grasslands.{{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}}{{cite journal |author=Michael Morlo |year=2006 |title=New remains of Barbourofelidae from the Miocene of Southern Germany: implications for the history of barbourid migrations |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233791187 |journal=Beiträge zur Paläontologie, Wien |volume=30 |pages=339–346}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Barbourofelidae}}

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q4709265|from2=Q111034865|from3=Q111040147}}

Category:Barbourofelidae

Category:Miocene mammals of Europe

Category:Miocene mammals of North America

Category:Miocene mammals of Asia

Category:Prehistoric carnivoran genera

{{Paleo-carnivora-stub}}