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Parailurus

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Parailurus
Temporal range: Early Pliocene–Late Pliocene
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ailuridae
Subfamily: Ailurinae
Genus: Parailurus
Schlosser, 1899
Type species
P. anglicus
(Dawkins, 1888)
Species
  • P. baikalicusSotnikova, 2008
  • P. tedfordiWallace & Lyon, 2022
  • P. anglicusDawkins, 1888

Parailurus is a genus of extinctcarnivoran mammal in the familyAiluridae. It was about 50% larger than Ailurus (red panda) and lived in the early to late PlioceneEpoch, and its fossils have been found in Europe, North America, and Japan.[1][2]

The fossils of P. baikalicus carry low-crowned lower molars, along with the main cuspids of the cheek teeth being worn horizontally. This suggests P. baikalicus commonly ate leaves.[3]

A third species, Parailurus tedfordi, was described in 2022.[4]

References

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  1. ^Goswami, Anjali; Friscia, Anthony, eds. (July 2010). Carnivoran Evolution: New Views on Phylogeny, Form and Function. Cambridge University Press. pp. 117–119. ISBN 978-0-521-51529-0.
  2. ^Fejfar, Oldřich; Sabol, Martin (April 2004). "Pliocene Carnivores (Carnivora, Mammalia) from Ivanovce and Hajnáčka (Slovakia)". Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg. 246: 15–53. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  3. ^Ogino, Shintaro; Nakaya, Hideo; Takai, Masanaru; Fukuchi, Akira; Maschenko, Evgeny N.; Kalmykov, Nikolai P. (September 30, 2009). "Mandible and Lower Dentition of Parailurus baikalicus (Ailuridae, Carnivora) from Transbaikal area, Russia". Paleontological Research. 13 (3): 259–264. doi:10.2517/1342-8144-13.3.259. ISSN 1342-8144. S2CID 86244485.
  4. ^Wallace, Steven C.; Lyon, Lauren M. (2022). "Systematic revision of the Ailurinae (Mammalia: Carnivora: Ailuridae): With a new species from North America". Red Panda. pp. 31–52. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-823753-3.00011-9. ISBN 9780128237533. S2CID 243818007.

Further reading

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