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Late Miocene Carnivora from Chad: Herpestidae, Viverridae and small-sized Felidae

Stéphane PEIGNÉ, Louis de BONIS, Mackaye HASSANE TAÏSSO, Andossa LIKIUS, Patrick VIGNAUD & Michel BRUNET

en Comptes Rendus Palevol 7 (8) - Pages 499-527

Published on 31 December 2008

This article is a part of the thematic issue African Carnivora from the Middle Miocene to the Pleistocene: New data, systematics, evolution, biogeography

The small-sized feliforms (Viverridae, Herpestidae, Felidae) from the Late Miocene fossiliferous area of Toros-Menalla, Chad, are described. The Viverridae are represented by dental and postcranial remains of two species: a new, large-sized viverrid, Sahelictis korei n. gen. n. sp., which is characterized by a more trenchant dentition than in Viverra spp., and an indeterminate species similar in size to Viverra howelli. The Herpestidae are represented by a subcomplete mandible with partial dentition assigned to Herpestes sp., similar in size to the smallest individuals of the extant Herpestes naso and H. ichneumon. Felids are known from two, possibly three small-sized species. Fragmentary dental and postcranial remains indicate the presence of one or two species of the size of the golden cat (Profelis aurata). A partial skeleton of a wildcat-sized species assigned to Felis sp. is also described; this record is by far the earliest record for the genus in Africa.


Keywords:

Late Miocene, Chad, Central Africa, Carnivora, Feliformia

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