Paleontologists have identified a previously unknown species of prehistoric cat that lived more than 15 million years ago and likely had a powerful bite.
The new medium-sized feline species, which has been named Magerifelis peignei, was described based on a fossil recovered in 2007 in Madrid, according to a team of researchers with Spain's National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC).
The fossil, which consists of a jawbone, came to light during improvement works for an underground public transport interchange located under the Príncipe Pío station and an adjacent shopping center. These works uncovered a paleontological site dating to the Miocene period, around 23 million to 5 million years ago.
The discovery of the prehistoric cat fossil has important implications for understanding feline evolution given that the latest species—described in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology—represents a new form, featuring primitive teeth and a "very robust" jaw.
"The discovery of Magerifelis peignei increases the diversity of Middle Miocene felines and provides a new idea of the evolution of this group," MNCN researcher Manuel Salesa, an author of the study, told Newsweek.
In a press release, Salesa said: "In 2007, an interesting paleontological site from the Middle Miocene was discovered in Príncipe Pío. One of the most outstanding fossils of the recovered material was a jaw of a small feline, whose study we have just published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology."
The recovered jawbone of Magerifelis peignei is practically complete and preserves almost all of the teeth in "exceptional" condition.
The most surprising observation is that the feline had a tiny lower second molar—a tooth absent in all current and fossil cats except Proailurus, the oldest known feline in the fossil record.
The jaw of the newly described cat is "very robust" compared to that of similarly sized felines, which suggests it would have been capable of withstanding significant tension during biting.
"In addition to this resistance to tension, the muscles responsible for the bite have highly developed insertion areas, indicative of relatively larger muscle masses than those of other felines of similar size," Salesa said.
This indicates that M. peignei, which also represents an entirely new genus (group of species), was probably able to exert "powerful bites." As a result, it was likely capable of rapidly killing relatively larger prey than that of similarly-sized felines living today.
"Remains of felines are really scarce in the fossil record, so the identification of a new genus is really relevant," Salesa told Newsweek.
During the middle Miocene, around 15 million years ago, the climate of Madrid was warmer than it is today while the landscape was dominated by extensive wooded meadows with forested patches where numerous animal species found refuge.
In this environment lived ungulates of various sizes, such as Hispanotherium matritense—an extinct rhinoceros adapted to eating grass. These animals were accompanied by mastodons (large, elephant-like creatures), paleomericids (deer-like ruminants), bovids, three-toed horses and wild boars.
Several carnivores also inhabited the region, including large bears, mustelids (a diverse family of carnivorous mammals including weasels, badgers and otters, among others) and small cats.
Do you have an animal or nature story to share with Newsweek? Do you have a question about paleontology? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Update 2/5/24, 2:07 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional comments from Manuel Salesa of the National Museum of Natural Sciences.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aristos is a Newsweek science reporter with the London, U.K., bureau. He reports on science and health topics, including; animal, ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
