Building Nimravids

Recently my job (Black Hills Institute of Geological Research) has been gearing up for the Tucson fossil show, a big annual event in commercial paleontology.  We’ve been working on building some impressive displays including ammonites but focusing more on different genera of nimravids.  Nimravidae is a family of mammals that closely mimic saber toothed cats; a classic case of convergent evolution.  Smilodon is the classic example of a saber toothed cat and actually a felid (cat) unlike the nimravids we’ve been working on.  Still, there are some impressive similarities such as retractable claws between the two groups of mammals; evolution is endlessly creative.