Did get to visit the #BurkeMuseum before falling ill and learned about the cat-like #nimravids that precede the #CatGap. They lived 35-23 mya--tens of millions of years before true cats evolved--and weighed in at a sizable 300 lbs.

They are different from true cats due their more primitive skulls, flat-footed walking styles, and single-chambered ear bones. Many species did have elongated canines, and probably filled an evolutionary niche that true cats stepped into as climates changed.