Researcher Reclassifies 5-Million-Year-Old Cat Skull After 50 Years as Adelphailurus kansensis
Updated
Updated · Popular Science · Jun 27
Researcher Reclassifies 5-Million-Year-Old Cat Skull After 50 Years as Adelphailurus kansensis
3 articles · Updated · Popular Science · Jun 27
Summary
A complete skull long mislabeled in an American Museum of Natural History drawer has been identified as Adelphailurus kansensis, a saber-toothed cat that lived about 5 million years ago in western North America.
Narimane Chatar confirmed the match by revisiting scans she made in 2022 and comparing a 3D model of the fossil with other museum specimens after suspecting the complete cranium was too specific to remain in the catchall genus Pseudaelurus.
The find gives scientists the first clear view of A. kansensis cranial anatomy; the puma-sized species had previously been known only from jaw fragments and teeth, and the study was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Because A. kansensis had shorter canines than later saber-toothed cats such as Smilodon—whose upper teeth could reach 8 inches—the reclassification helps trace how extreme saber-tooth features evolved.
Chatar said the case highlights the scientific value of reexamining historical museum collections, where overlooked specimens may still fill major gaps in the fossil record.