Diegoaelurus

The name of genus Diegoaelurus comes from the city of San Diego and . Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae was named after Dr. Blaire Van Valkenburgh in honor of her research on carnivorous mammals and saber-toothed predator paleoecology. ==Discovery==

The holotype fossils were discovered in Oceanside, San Diego county by paleontologist Brad Riney in 1988. The fossils were housed for over three decades in a museum until 2022, when the fossils were described and recognised as a new genus and species. This creature is so far the only North American species of Machaeroidinae known outside of Utah and Wyoming. According to a paper on the creature, The present study highlights how poorly documented the machaeroidine fossil record remains. ==Description==

showing a missing tooth in SDSNH 38343, the paper has noted that this could be pathological or it could have happened well antemortem. Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae was small in stature, with a size comparable to a fossa. The holotype fossils (SDSNH 38343) consists of a mandible and well preserved dentition. Due to the lack of remains, there is questioning to these animals ecological niches. However, there are good remains from Machaeroides eothen that support a hypercarnivorous lifestyle for the group. D. vanvalkenburghae was one of the last surviving members of its subfamily. ==Classification==

The phylogenetic relationships of genus Diegoaelurus are shown in the following cladogram: ==Extinction==

Diegoaelurus along with all the members of its subfamily died out in the middle Eocene, which may be linked to the significant faunal overturn during the transition period between the middle and late Eocene. Instead, their extinction was likely due to the changing climate. ==References==