Pristinailurus

Pristinailurus Temporal range: Miocene–Pliocene PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Skull of P. bristoli
Reconstructed head of P. bristoli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Ailuridae
Genus:	† Pristinailurus Wallace & Wang, 2004
Species:	†P. bristoli
Binomial name
†Pristinailurus bristoli Wallace & Wang, 2004

Pristinailurus bristoli is a fossil species in the carnivoran family Ailuridae. It is well-represented in the Hemphillian-aged deposits at the Gray Fossil Site in Gray, Tennessee. ^[1] It was significantly larger than the living Ailurus, but probably possessed a comparatively weaker bite. P. bristoli was sexually dimorphic, as males appeared to have been up to twice the size of females. ^[2]

Anatomy

Bristols panda skeleton

P. bristoli was likely adapted to terrestrial and some arboreal locomotion, with a generalist diet. ^[3]

References

1. Wallace, Steven C.; Wang, Xiaoming (September 2004). "Two new carnivores from an unusual late Tertiary forest biota in eastern North America" (PDF). Nature. 431 (7008): 556–559. Bibcode:2004Natur.431..556W. doi:10.1038/nature02819. PMID   15457257. S2CID   4432191.
2. "Life in the Cenozoic Era: Bristol's Panda (Pristinailurus bristoli)". 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021.
3. "ANATOMICAL COMPARISON OF THE POSTCRANIAL SKELETON OF THE EXTANT RED PANDA, AILURUS FULGENS, TO THE EXTINCT LATE MIOCENE AILURIDS SIMOCYON BATALLERI AND PRISTINAILURUS BRISTOLI (CARNIVORA, AILURIDAE)" (PDF). Researchgate. Dec 31, 2025.