MELANISTIC DINOFELIS DRINKING | 𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱.

Melanistic dinofelis drinking

Africa, beginning of the Pleistocene.
Night falls and the first stars begin to dot the amethyst sky, while the sun casts its last rays on a Marabou patrolling the grass in search of food.

In the stillness of the evening a large dark spot approaches the pool of water, crouches down and begins to drink.

Our Holocene eyes might think they’re looking at a large jaguar, but it’s not actually a panther.
It is a Dinofelis, a saber-toothed feline (macairodontine), which lived between 5 and 1.2 million years ago.

Dinofelis was a rather varied genus in size and widely distributed (Africa, Asia, Europe and America).

It is mainly known for having been a great predator of hominids, but in reality it is more probable that “our ancestors” were only occasional preys and that the first choice were medium-large sized ungulates. In contrast to Megantereon which, based on the carbon isotopes found in its teeth, seems to have had a soft spot for hominids, a bit like leopards today have it for primates.

Year: 2021

Client: Simone Zoccante / Diorama Nature

Software: Adobe Photoshop

Dimension (for Print): 50 x 50 cm @ 300 dpi

Dimension (in Pixel): 5906 x 5906 px

If you’re interested in commissioning me a similar painting or to buy the licensing rights of this artwork, feel free to contact me at simonezoccante@gmail.com. Thank you.