The Nimravidae, also known as false sabre-tooths, are an extinct family of mammaliancarnivores. Although they physically resembled the sabre-toothed cats (Smilodon), they were not closely related, but evolved a similar form through parallel evolution.
The ancestors of the Nimravids and cats diverged from their common ancestor in the early Eocene, more than 50 million years ago (mya). Recognizable Nimravid fossils date from the later Eocene (36 million mya) to the late Miocene (5 mya). Nimravid diversity appears to have peaked about 28 mya. Most had muscular, low-slung catlike bodies, with shorter legs and tails than typical of cats. The largest species reached the size of a lion.
One of the earliest ancestors of the cat family, the Felidae, Hoplophoneus was a member of the family Nimravidae.
The difference between the Nimravidae and the Felidae is in the structure of the bones which contain the small bones of the inner ear: the incus, malleus, and stapes.
In the Nimravidae, there is no trace of this auditory bulla, indicating a structure made of cartridge once housed the bones of the inner ear.
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