13. CARNIVORES: PROMEGANTEREON OGYGIA

Promegantereon was a smaller macairodontine, adapted to climbing trees with agility.

Until the discovery of the Cerro de los Batallones deposits, Promegantereon ogygia was known solely from a few fossils, which were mainly jaw and tooth fragments that were found in Germany. Today, thanks to the findings at the Cerro de los Batallones site, it is probably the best-known macairodontine in the Eurasian fossil record.

Its size was comparable to that of a modern small leopard. Its muscular front legs, with retractable claws, allowed it to grasp its prey (medium-sized herbivores), and also to climb trees with agility.

Genus: Promegantereon
Species: Promegantereon ogygia
Height at shoulders: 50-70 cm
Period: Upper Miocene

Promegantereon ogygia had body proportions similar modern to felines of the same size, such as the leopard, but with some differences (such as the shortening of the tail, or the lengthening of the neck).
Anatomical reconstruction process of Promegantereon ogygia.
Illustration: M. Antón