Barrett, Paul Zachary2021-10-262021-10-262021-10Barrett, P.Z. The largest hoplophonine and a complex new hypothesis of nimravid evolution. Sci Rep 11, 21078 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00521-1https://hdl.handle.net/1794/26760https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00521-19 pagesNimravids were the first carnivorans to evolve saberteeth, but previously portrayed as having a narrow evolutionary trajectory of increasing degrees of sabertooth specialization. Here I present a novel hypothesis about the evolution of this group, including a description of Eusmilus adelos, the largest known hoplophonine, which forces a re-evaluation of not only their relationships, but perceived paleoecology. Using a tip-dated Bayesian analysis with sophisticated evolutionary models, nimravids can now be viewed as following two paths of evolution: one led to numerous early dirk-tooth forms, including E. adelos, while the other converged on living feline morphology, tens of millions of years before its appearance in felids.enCreative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USEcologyEvolutionZoologySystematic palaeontologyArticle