See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344958853 Inferred Locomotion of Select Feliforms: Implications for Barbourofelis loveorum (Barbourofelidae) and Nimravides galiani (Felidae, Machairodontinae) from the Late Miocene (Latest... Poster · October 2020 DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.13507.22565 CITATIONS READS 0 144 3 authors, including: Christianne Ormsby Steven C Wallace University at Albany, The State University of New York East Tennessee State University 4 PUBLICATIONS 0 CITATIONS 63 PUBLICATIONS 414 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Tapir Forelimb - shape, mass, phylogeny and ecology View project Fossil Red Panda Research Group View project All content following this page was uploaded by Christianne Ormsby on 29 October 2020. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Inferred Locomotion of Select Feliforms: Implications for Barbourofelis loveorum (Barbourofelidae) and Nimravides galiani (Felidae, Machairodontinae) from the Late Miocene (Latest Clarendonian) of Florida Christianne Ormsby¹,², Steven Wallace¹,², and Joshua X. Samuels¹,² ¹Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology ²Department of Geosciences, East Tennessee State University Figure 3: Fossils and measurements in analysis Figure 4: DAs with 12 extant felids Introduction Stepwise Independent Results Many carnivoran mammal fossils have been unearthed from the Love Bone Bed of Alachua County, A C A B Extant felids are separated by locomotion in the DAs (Figs. 4-5), with >90% Florida (Fig. 1), including Nimravides galiani and Barbourofelis loveorum. Dated to the Late B correctly classified in all analyses. From the original dataset, N. galiani is predicted Miocene, this region comprised of an overlap of different ecosystems: from open plains to closed to be Cursorial (92% confidence) using Stepwise (Fig. 4A) but then predicted to be forest (Baskin 1981; Baskin 2005). The machairodont N. galiani is a true felid (Felidae), whereas B. Terrestrial (76%) when ran as Independents (Fig. 4B). In both analyses N. galiani loveorum is an extinct saber-toothed feliform, with various workers placing it within Nimravidae, or has some overlap in Scansorial morphospace, whereas B. loveorum is predicted to its own family, Barbourofelidae. Paleoecology between these two taxa (niche partitioning, direct be Scansorial (100%) (Table 3). After adding in Panthera tigris, P. onca, and Felis Chaus, Stepwise (Fig. 5A) and Independents (Fig. 5B; Table 4) predicts N. galiani competition, etc.) has received little attention. Fortunately, Figure 1: Locality map ecomorphological studies of locomotion can be used to and B. loveorum to be Scansorial (Stepwise = 99.8% and 83%, respectively; infer anatomical and ecological relationships. However, Stepwise (A) and Independent (B) Discriminant function analyses of 12 extant felids Independents = 100% for both taxa). B. loveorum plots near S. fatalis in locomotor (Acinonyx jubatus, Felis silvestris, Leopardus wiedii, Leptailurus serval, Lynx the felid body plan (capable of climbing) is not well canadensis, L. rufus, Neofelis nebulosa, Otocolobus manul, Pardofelis marmorata, morphospace, and both are far from other groups. In all analyses, Wilk’s λ is low Panthera leo, P. uncia, Puma concolor) and 6 extinct feliforms (Nimravides galiani, z defined or separated into other locomotion categories. Barbourofelis loveorum, Panthera atrox, Smilodon fatalis, Dinictis sp., Hoplophoneus N. galiani and p<0.05, implying the groups are effectively and significantly separated. sp.). Extant felid locomotion categories are displayed by filled-in shapes, whereas extinct B. loveorum taxa predicted locomotion classifications are shown by the corresponding unfilled Table 3: Fig. 4 Locomotion Predictions 1) Can the postcranial elements of extant felids be shapes. N. galiani and B. loveorum have unique symbols. Note that in (A) N. galiani Stepwise Discriminant Predictions Independent Discriminant Predictions plots within cursorial near P. atrox. B. loveorum plots between P. atrox and S. fatalis, and Arboreal Scansorial Cursorial Terrestrial Arboreal Scansorial Cursorial Terrestrial used to infer differences in locomotion? away from the Nimravids. Wilk’s λ = 0.038 with p< 0.05, and 91.1% of extant taxa are N. galiani 0.00 8.2 91.8 0.00 0.00 24.0 0.00 76.0 correctly classified. In (B) N. galiani plots between Scansorial and Terrestrial felids. B. 2) What were the locomotor habits of extinct feliforms? D B. loveorum 0.00 100 0.00 0.00 0.00 100 0.00 0.00 loveorum remains between P. atrox and S. fatalis, but S. fatalis moves closer in-between Predictions for all extinct taxa between the Stepwise and Independent analyses from Fig. 4. 3) How might locomotor differences explain the the Scansorial felids and P. atrox. Overall, Nimravids are more dispersed among Nimravides galiani is mostly Cursorial in Stepwise, then mostly Terrestrial as Independents. Location of Alachua County in Florida, where the E Arboreal and Scansorial groups. Wilk’s λ = 0.012 with p< 0.05, and 97.8% of extant taxa Barbourofelis loveorum is Scansorial in both tests. coexistence of N. galiani and B. loveorum? Love Bone Bed resides, containing fossils of both 10 cm are correctly classified. Nimravides galiani and Barbourofelis loveorum. Figure 5: DAs with 15 extant felids Table 4: Fig. 5 Locomotion Predictions Stepwise Independent Stepwise Discriminant Predictions Independent Discriminant Predictions Arboreal Scansorial Cursorial Terrestrial Arboreal Scansorial Cursorial Terrestrial Methods A B N. galiani 0.00 99.8 0.02 0.00 0.00 100 0.00 0.00 Table 1: Classifications Ratios of postcranial linear measurements from 12 F B. loveorum 0.00 83.0 17.0 0.00 0.00 100 0.00 0.00 Arboreal Climbs to hunt and evade. Predictions for all extinct taxa between the Stepwise and Independent analyses from Fig. 5. extant felids (Acinonyx jubatus, Felis silvestris, Scansorial Occasional climbing. Powerful Jumpers. Nimravides galiani and Barbourofelis loveorum are Scansorial in both tests, with the latter also overlapping with Cursorial. Leopardus wiedii, Leptailurus serval, Lynx canadensis, Cursorial Runs to hunt and evade. L. rufus, Neofelis nebulosa, Otocolobus manul, Terrestrial Rare climbing. Generalists. Conclusion Pardofelis marmorata, Panthera leo, P. uncia, Puma Locomotion behaviors selected for extant felids. Locomotion can be inferred within extant Felidae by using postcranial concolor) and 4 extinct Feliforms (the felids Panthera morphology, which can then, in turn, be used to infer the locomotion of extinct atrox and Smilodon fatalis, and the nimravids Dinictis Figure 2: Feliform relationships taxa. N. galiani’s shift from mostly Cursorial/Terrestrial to mostly Scansorial once sp. and Hoplophoneus sp.) (Samuels et al. 2013) were Stepwise (A) and Independent (B) Discriminant function analyses of 15 extant felids, including 3 added new taxa were added may be due to body size, as the new taxa includes P. tigris Legend taxa (Panthera tigris, P. onca, Felis Chaus). Legend is the same as Fig. 4. Note that in (A) Nimravides and P. onca. Data ratios were used to remove size, however, such results suggest used as training for a Discriminant Function Analysis Extinct Species galiani plots between Scansorial and Cursorial felids. Barbourofelis loveorum and Smilodon fatalis plot near each other, but away from others. Panthera atrox plots within Cursorial. Dinictis sp. and Arboreal that size may not have been completely removed. N. galiani is slightly predicted (DA) of locomotion categories among Felidae (Table 1; Scansorial Hoplophoneus sp. overlap each other and are widespread. Wilk’s λ = 0.031 with p< 0.05, and 92.3% of Cursorial extant taxa are correctly classified. In (B) N. galiani plots closer to extant Scansorial felids. B. loveorum to be Scansorial, but the addition of new taxa pushed Scansorial prediction to be Fig. 2). Measured postcrania of Nimravides galiani and Terrestrial G OL stays with S. fatalis, and both are closer to P. atrox. Wilk’s λ = 0.010 with p< 0.05, and 96.2% of extant TSL taxa are correctly classified. 100%. B. loveorum is placed in Scansorial in all analyses alongside S. fatalis and Barbourofelis loveorum from Florida (Fig 3) were DPCL Author Contributions away from other nimravids, implying B. loveorum is morphologically less like FL TL HL RL UL included as unknowns for DA; including Stepwise and UD FD TD HD First author, Christianne Ormsby, carried out all the analyses and created the poster with the support and guidance Non-Stepwise (Independents) tests. Next, determined if of the second author, Dr. Steven Wallace. Much of the measurement data was contributed by the third author, Dr. Nimravidae and more like the robust Machairodonts; as Morlo et al. 2004 Joshua X. Samuels, with the remaining added by the first author. This research would not have been possible extant taxa are separated by locomotion (Wilks λ). MT3L without the input of the co-authors. suggested. It’s possible that both taxa may have been scansorial, but were on HEB Acknowledgements different ends of the spectrum; with N. galiani relying less on climbing. Another Added new taxa (Panthera tigris, Panthera onca, and FEB Thank you to the GSA Charles A. & June R.P. Ross Research Fund for providing the Graduate Student Research Phylogenetic tree of all taxa used in analysis Grant used to fund this research. possibility, is that B. loveorum exhibits a body plan not represented