Ancient big cat fossils found in South America

[slowhand]

CARACAS (AFP) - Venezuela has found the first fossils of an extinct scimitar cat -- of the saber-toothed cat genus -- in South America, during oil prospecting activities southeast of Caracas, paleontologists announced.


"It's South America's most important discovery in 60 years," Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Investigation paleontologist Ascanio Rincon told AFP on Monday.

He said fossils of six scimitar cats, or Homotherium, were found along with those of panthers, wolves, camels, condors, ducks and horses, all from about 1.8 million years ago, by a Petroleos de Venezuela team looking for oil in Monagas state in 2006.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080812/sc_afp/venezuelapaleontologyscimitarcat

 

[Tom Coronado]

So bad ass. I get why you posted this link on this forum, finding six fossil specimens of the same organism along with a crap load of other megafauna and birds is total paleoporn.

What's more interesting to me being that I'm still new to the specifics behind it, is the horse fossils found. Horse evolution is pretty cool considering they for sure judging from this find, were in the New World as recent (geologically speaking) as 1.8 million years ago.

 

[maildude]

Yowww!! Those are some big fucking fangs!! :eek:

 

[Sicario]

I wake up everyday and I thank GOD that there are no saber-toothed cats roaming around my neck of the woods...imagine that?! Although a cougar was shot dead in early June by the CPD on the northside...:eek: