Pristifelis fossil map
Where fossils of Pristifelis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 5 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 5 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 11.63–5.09 million years ago (Tortonian to Zanclean) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Felidae |
| Named by | Salesa et al. 2012 |
| Fossil records | 22 occurrences at 9 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Greece, Italy, Moldova, Türkiye, Russia, China |
| Rock formations | txn:41045, facies à Congeria, Yatagan |
About Pristifelis
Pristifelis is an extinct genus of feline from the late Miocene. It contains a single species, Pristifelis attica. The first fossil skull of P. attica was excavated near Pikermi in Attica, Greece.
Fossils were also excavated near the Moldovan city of Taraclia.
It was also discovered in Maragheh, northwestern Iran. P. attica was bigger in body size than a European wildcat but probably smaller than a serval. The species was first described as Felis attica by Johann Andreas Wagner in 1857. Due to size differences, it was proposed as type species for the genus Pristifelis proposed in 2012.
Pristifelis attica was formerly considered ancestral to Felis, but is now considered ancestral to Felinae more broadly.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Pristifelis (revision 1345239227), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q21368827.
