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Smilodon gracilis

Osteichthyes - Carnivora - Felidae

Taxonomy
Smilodon gracilis was named by Cope (1880). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Port Kennedy Cave, which is in an Irvingtonian cave horizon in Pennsylvania.

It was recombined as Machaerodus gracilis by Cope (1899), Matthew (1918) and Slaughter (1960); it was recombined as Machairodus gracilis by Hay (1902); it was recombined as Smilodontopsis gracilis by Brown (1908); it was recombined as Megantereon gracilis by Martin (1980), Morgan and Ridgway (1987), Martin et al. (1988); it was recombined as Ischyrosmilus gracilis by Churcher (1984).

Sister species lacking formal opinion data
S. bonaerensis, S. ensenadenis

Synonyms
  • Uncia mercerii was named by Cope (1895). It is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Port Kennedy Cave, which is in an Irvingtonian cave horizon in Pennsylvania.

    It was recombined as Smilodon mercerii by Cope (1899); it was recombined as Machairodus mercerii by Hay (1902); it was recombined as Smilodontopsis mercerii by Brown (1908); it was recombined as Machaerodus mercerii by Matthew (1918) and Slaughter (1960); it was synonymized subjectively with Ischyrosmilus gracilis by Churcher (1984); it was synonymized subjectively with Smilodon gracilis by Kurten and Anderson (1980), Berta (1987).
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1880Smilodon gracilis Cope
1895Uncia mercerii Cope p. 448
1899Machaerodus gracilis Cope
1899Smilodon mercerii Cope
1902Machairodus gracilis Hay p. 778
1902Machairodus mercerii Hay p. 778
1908Smilodontopsis gracilis Brown
1908Smilodontopsis mercerii Brown
1918Machaerodus gracilis Matthew
1918Machaerodus mercerii Matthew
1932Smilodon gracilis Merriam and Stock
1960Machaerodus gracilis Slaughter
1960Machaerodus mercerii Slaughter
1974Smilodon gracilis Webb
1980Smilodon gracilis Kurten and Anderson p. 186
1980Megantereon gracilis Martin
1983Smilodon gracilis Berta and Galiano p. 897
1984Ischyrosmilus gracilis Churcher
1985Smilodon gracilis Berta
1987Smilodon gracilis Berta
1987Megantereon gracilis Morgan and Ridgway
1988Megantereon gracilis Martin et al.
1990Smilodon gracilis Kurtén and Werdelin p. 158
1995Smilodon gracilis Morgan and Hulbert, Jr.
2025Smilodon gracilis Eshelman et al. p. 143

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RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
classOsteichthyes
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
—Mammaliaformes
RankNameAuthor
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Ferae()
—Pancarnivora
—CarnivoramorphaWyss and Flynn 1993
—CarnivoraformesFlynn et al.
orderCarnivora
suborderFeliformiaKretzoi 1945
superfamilyFeloideaHay 1930
familyFelidae
subfamilyMachairodontinaeGill 1872
tribeSmilodontiniKretzoi 1929
genusSmilodonLund 1841
speciesgracilisCope 1880

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

†Smilodon gracilis Cope 1880
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Invalid names: Uncia mercerii Cope 1895 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
No measurements are available
Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: scansorialf
Diet: carnivoref
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2005-06-08 10:11:09
Modified: 2009-01-04 16:22:03
Source: f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Ji et al. 2002, Nowak 1991, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Lillegraven 1979

Age range: base of the Gelasian to the top of the Late/Upper Pleistocene or 2.58000 to 0.01170 Ma

Collections (24 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Blancan4.7 - 1.4USA (Florida) Megantereon gracilis (19746 19749) Smilodon gracilis (19752)
Late/Upper Pliocene - Early/Lower Pleistocene3.6 - 0.774Venezuela (Monagas) Smilodon gracilis (144977)
Gelasian2.58 - 1.8USA (Florida) Smilodon gracilis (19758 20384)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.58 - 0.774USA (Florida) Smilodon gracilis (98313)
Pleistocene2.58 - 0.0117USA (West Virginia) Smilodon gracilis (123875)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (Pennsylvania) Smilodon gracilis (20354) Smilodontopsis gracilis, Uncia mercerii (type locality: 20479)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (California) Smilodon gracilis (20124 20126 20127 20128 20130)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (New Mexico) Smilodon gracilis (20558)
Irvingtonian1.4 - 0.21USA (Florida) Smilodon gracilis (20299 20334 20351 20385 20400 20415)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117USA (West Virginia) Smilodon gracilis (125085)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Mexico (Quintana Roo) Smilodon gracilis (212364)