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Sparassodont Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
Sparassodont facts for kids
The Sparassodonts were an order of carnivorous Metatherian mammals. They are all now extinct.
| Sparassodonta Temporal range: Palaeocene–Pleistocene |
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| Thylacosmilus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Metatheria |
| Order: | †Sparassodonta Ameghino, 1894 |
The borhyaenid Lycopsis
The Sparassodonta is native to South America. They were once considered to be true marsupials, but are now thought to be a sister taxon to them.
A number of these mammalian predators closely resemble placental predators that evolved separately in Eurasia. They were first described by Florentino Ameghino, from fossils found in the Santa Cruz beds of Patagonia.
Features
Members of the order Sparassodonta showed many similarities with placental carnivora, but they were not closely related. They are a very good example of convergent evolution.
For example, sparassodont molars were similar to the meat slicing teeth of modern cats. The canines were also lengthened, and in some cases, such as Thylacosmilus, resemble those of saber-toothed cats like Smilodon. Their body size varied, ranging from 80 cm (2 ft 8 in) long to the size of today's modern big cats.
Another family of large predators wrere the borhyaenids, which were more like wolves or dogs.
Families
†Hathliacynidae
†Borhyaenidae
†Proborhyaenidae
†Thylacosmilidae