Dinofelis is an extinct genus of machairodontine, usually classified in the tribe Metailurini. It was widespread in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America from 5 million to about 1.2 million years ago. Fossils very similar to Dinofelis from Lothagam range back to around 8 million years ago, in the Late Miocene. Dinofelis was a about the size of a large jaguar, with robust upper canines and relatively small cheek teeth. Dinofelis hunted animals including mammoth calves, young and old mastodons, hominids like Homo habilis and other animals. However, examination of carbon isotope ratios in specimens from Swartkrans indicates that they probably did not hunt hominids, instead preferring grazing animals as their main prey. The stout body of Dinofelis may indicate a preference for dense or mixed habitats, although, like the modern jaguar, it may have ranged from forest to open country, including wetlands. Based on Dinofelis likely preference of forest habitats, ethologist William Allen et al. believes it possessed a spotted or striped coat. It is thought that the gradual disappearance of its forest environment may have contributed to Dinofelis extinction at the start of the ice age.