Nimravidae

Nimravidae Temporal range: Middle Eocene to Late Miocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Hoplophoneus mentalis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Superfamily:	†Nimravoidea
Family:	†Nimravidae Cope, 1880
Genera[2]
†Maofelis †Pangurban[1] †Hoplophoneinae Kretzoi, 1929 †Hoplophoneus †Eusmilus †Nanosmilus †Nimravinae Cope, 1880

Nimravidae is an extinct family of carnivorans, sometimes known as false saber-toothed cats, whose fossils are found in North America and Eurasia. Not considered to belong to the true cats (family Felidae), the nimravids are generally considered closely related and classified as a distinct family in the suborder Feliformia. Fossils have been dated from the Middle Eocene through the Late Miocene epochs (Bartonian through Tortonian stages, 40.4–7.2 million years ago), spanning about 33.2 million years.^[3]

The barbourofelids, which were formerly classified as a subfamily of the Nimravidae, were reassigned to their own distinct family Barbourofelidae in 2004.^[4] However, some recent (2020) studies suggest the barbourofelids are a branch of the nimravids, suggesting that this debate might not be settled yet.^[5]