Paramachairodus

Paramachairodus (alternately Paramachaerodus) is an extinct genus of saber-tooth cat of the subfamily Machairodontinae, which was endemic to Europe and Asia during the late Miocene from 15 to 9 Ma.

Paramachairodus is one of the oldest known true saber-toothed cats. A large number of fossils were discovered in Cerro de los Batallones, a Late Miocene fossil site near Madrid, Spain. One leopard-sized species is known, Paramachairodus orientalis from the Turolian. A second species, Paramachairodus maximiliani, is considered a synonym of Paramachairodus orientalis by most authors. The species P. ogygia according to Salesa et al, based on morphological differences, may be warranted as a separate genus as Promegantereon according to in-depth descriptions of its anatomy.

The animals were about 58 centimetres (23 in) high at the shoulder, similar to a leopard, but with a more supple body. The shape of its limbs suggests that it may have been an agile climber, and could have hunted relatively large prey.