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Tarbtano


I came, I saw, I got turned into a Brony. Tumblr link http://xeno-the-sharp-tongue.tumblr.com/

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  • 3 weeks
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  • 34 weeks
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Nov
8th
2018

Paleo Profile: Smilodon - Lean, Fatal, Destroyer · 9:52pm Nov 8th, 2018

The sabretooth is a time honored tradition amongst mammals and their ancestors, as well as other groups, popping up across time and space multiple occasions. In predators, they’re built chiefly to puncture large amounts of hide and tissue to kill big game, it’s a proven strategy. The first was in the predecessor groups of mammals in the Therapsids of the Permian and Triassic periods, namely the Gorgonopsids. Several dinosaurs also homaged the look with the horned Ceratosaurus and Tyrannosaur Lythronax sporting a set of proportionally enlarged fangs. Following them are the feliform offshoots the Barborofelids and the marsupial relative, Thylacosmilus.

But the most iconic is the “Sabretooth Tiger”. The image of the “Sabretooth Tiger” is arguably one of the most well known non-dinosaur images in prehistory, rivaled only by the Woolly Mammoth as the most well known “Ice Age” mega-mammal. Felines are some of the most superbly adapted predators to ever exist, combining high power for their size, great agility, and high intelligence.

However, while they are felines and thus relatives of tigers, there is no such thing as a sabretooth tiger. The name of the family is Machairodontinae, the third major group of felines along with Pantherinae (lions, tigers, and relation) and Felinae (bobcats, pumas, domestic cats, and relation).

Physical characters such as tooth eruption pattern, skull bone fusion, tooth number, short tails, broader limbs, and the ability to expand their jaw gape to truly astounding degrees put these cats in a league of their own. This is what justifies putting them in their own subfamily of Felidae, with Panthers and Felids being closer to each other than they are to their slightly more distant kin.

A recent genetics study in 2005 vindicates this arrangement and thus the two sides of the Felidae family are often grouped as “Sabre/Blade Toothed” felines on one side and “Conical Toothed” felines (Panthers and ‘Small’ cats) on the other. So to put it in layman's terms, a mountain lion and a housecat are closer to each other (both Felinae or “Small cats”) than either is to an actual lion (a Pantherine or “big cat”), whom is closer to a tiger (another Pantherine). However a mountain lion, house cat, tiger, and lion are all closer to each other than any of them are to a sabretooth (A Machairodontid) as all four of those modern felines are “Conical Toothed” felines.

No sabretooth was the ancestor of any tiger, as the modern species Panthera tigris actually coexisted with numerous blade toothed cats for long periods of time with its fellow Pantherine cohorts being more akin to second cousins to sabretooths than grandchildren-grandparents genetically speaking. At the same time the last and largest sabretooths roamed the Americas, there was also a now extinct species of near equal size that was in the same genus as the likes of tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards. There was not a transition of sabretoothed felines into conical toothed felines, and Machariodontids have no living descendents with the last of them dying out some 8,000 years ago at the latest.

Composed of 60 known and well documented species, Machariodontids come in two main body types. scimitar Toothed Cats are typically leaner in build and were clearly built for speed in addition to power, all having long legs and lighter body masses compared to their kin. Their teeth were larger than modern feline’s and heavily serrated, but not overly huge and might have even been obscured when they held their mouth closed depending on how the lips were arranged. Homotherium is a classic example. Some scimitar-toothed cats even partially lost their retractable claws much in the same way cheetahs did to better grip the ground and run faster, while still bearing a massive, retractable first finger (or “dewclaw”) held off the ground to grabbing prey. They’re method of hunting was to chase their prey down in an open area and then slash it repeatedly with their serrated fangs, bleeding it out and then going for the killing slash.

The true Sabre-Toothed Cats likely couldn’t hide their namesakes, however. While still likely quite quick and very agile, this group was built for sheer power. Instead of running and pursuing prey like their scimitar toothed kin, these mega-felines frequently had double the mass at comparable height and fangs that could get up to a foot long. Rivaled only by some extreme examples in the Panthera, these were undoubtedly the largest cats to have ever existed and rank in the top 10 for largest terrestrial mammalian pure carnivores ever. The only Carnivorans to ever get larger were the omnivorous giant bears and marine pinnipeds such as elephant seals. A typical Sabretooth of comparable height to a modern lion would typically weigh 30-50% more because of how burly they were.

Of this group there are many genera, but the most iconic and probably the greatest of them is one of the first discovered and no doubt THE sabretooth, Smilodon. Hit the music!

Genus: Smilodon
Name Meaning: Latin, smilē (Knife) + don (Tooth or Fang)
Species: S.fatalis (Fatal Knife Tooth), S.populator (Destroying Knife Tooth), S.gracilis (Lean Knife Tooth)

Time: Pleistocene Epoch, 100,000-8,000 years ago
Location: North and South America, ancestrally Asia
Height: 0.8-1.2 meters tall at the shoulder
Length: 1.8-2 meters long
Weight: 110kgs (S.gracilis) to 450+kg (S.populator)
Top Speed: 35-30mph
Epidermis: Thick fur, possible manes or ruff on males
Traits: 16-24cm canines, serrated incisors, four 8-12cm claws on each paw, extreme physical strength, powerful roar, likely spotted fur


Now as stated above there are three species within the Smilodon genus. These three drastically differ in size, range, time, and very probably social habits.

S.gracilis is the smallest, about the size of a jaguar, and oldest species of the group, likely the ancestor of the other two. S.fatalis was roughly the same size as a bengal tiger in dimension, but much bulkier and heavier, and inhabited both coasts of North America from Canada down into Mexico and Florida until the species died off. S.populator was the largest natural feline of all time, rivaled only by very large Ligers and Panthera atrox. It lived in lower Central America and South America concurrently to S.fatalis.

For purposes of comparison and because the smallest of the trio was the ancestor to the other two, we will be primarily focusing on S.fatalis and S.populator.

Both species were apex predators of their respective regions. It cannot be understated how powerful these creatures would have been. Your healthy african lion has enough physical strength in a swipe of its paws to fracture the human skull and rip your muscle and skin right off. Felines are also pound-for-pound, one of the most muscular carnivores on the planet and Smilodon was the stockist, most robust feline of all time. Per size, a S.fatalis would be almost twice as strong as a lion of comparable height; and S.populator was even more so. Like modern big cats, Smilodon also had equally robust hindlimbs, similarly armed with razor-sharp claws. Special inner-ear development also imparts felines with a superb sense of balance and orientation, it’s why they can land on their feet. This allows them to accurately land hits and dodge counter blows even in the middle of a frenzied brawl or wrestle. Smilodon’s stocky build and short tail, showing it was not a pursuit predator as a long tail can act as a rudder, indicate clearly it was an ambush predator.

This animal was a powerhouse, meant to rush out, wrestle down, and maul something to death before it had a chance to run or fight back.

Speaking of claws-

Felines have a truly ingenious design for their talons as far as carnivores go. The retractable feature, done by curling back the last few toe bones to keep the claws held back unless willed, does an excellent job at keeping them sharp. And I do not throw around the term ‘razor sharp’ lightly. There are very well, documented cases of large felines eviscerating through leather, animal hides, flesh, and some lighter bone. People have died from getting smacked in the stomach or face by a tiger.

5:30 for the moment of glory that'll make you never want to be a lion's scratching post

I have seen veterinary incidents of fully grown, powerful horses with tough hides and masses of over 500 kilograms getting absolutely shredded by a 50 kilogram mountain lion’s claws alone.

In the interest of those who don’t want to see an animal hurt, I will not show it but let me speak from experience. I have seen a healthy draft stallion in his prime get cut down to the bone by a cougar less than 1/10th his mass. The mountain lion with set of 3-4 cm claws ripped through both the tough skin and extremely dense muscle of this horse down to its vertebrae to the point I was looking at its spinal cord through a hole in its neck. This cat managed to do this so quickly and so viciously you’d swear this poor horse got hit with a chainsaw.

Now apply that kind of force to an animal easily five to eight times as powerful and in the case of S.populator, twice the size of any tiger or lion today. Consider this picture of a healthy, adult female Southern African Lioness.


Nala lifts...

In good health, she probably weighs in at around 120-150 kilograms. Smilodon was not only up to three times heavier, most of which was muscle, but it was proportionally even bulkier. Now imagine that kind of power behind a claw swipe. It wouldn’t give you four cuts, getting slapped by a claw-bearing Smilodon would rip the flesh clean off the bones. And because of the shape of the claws, once the cat had its prey hooked, it would be incredibly difficult to dislodge. Even the dewclaw in felines is weaponized, just as large if not larger in most species and providing a special point of leverage and grip to ensure a tight hold or rend.

The ingeniousness of the design in feline claws is their retractable nature allows the feline to continue running and maneuvering on all fours at a rapid pace, which both allows for much more rapid acceleration and overall speed, but keeps the claws from getting blunted against the ground. It also means the forelimbs are kept very strong through constant use as legs, meaning swipes from such limbs are incredibly powerful.

But of course, Smilodon is called a sabretooth for a reason.

Protruding out from the skull in the form of deeply anchored canine fangs, Smilodon’s fangs across both species regularly reached a foot long. A vertical, teardrop shape in cross section with a bladed, serrated back and round front; these were the tools of a giant slayer. To make use of them, Smilodon’s mandible joint could open far more than any feline species known; about 120’. The sabre teeth were used primarily as an execution weapon. After wrestling its prey to the ground with its great strength, the Smilodon would open its jaws extremely widely and swing them down to stab both canines into the throat.


By biting down with the bottom jaw to anchor itself, Smilodon would then yank back and use the serrated backs of the fangs to rend and severe the windpipe, jugular, and other major arteries and veins in one blow. This is different from the suffocation styled bite modern Pantherids use, as indicated by Smilodon’s fangs being thinner and bladed (for easier penetration), much more powerful neck muscles to swing its head down with, and weaker crushing force behind it’s bite (didn’t need it).

A Smilodon bite would be precisely aimed, quick, and brutal. It’s quite likely the cat’s attack would result in the entire forward section of the throat being torn out in a chunk. It would be incredibly messy, and because of how long the fangs were, just as dangerous to prey many times bigger than the Smilodon as it would be lethal to those the same size as the Smilodon. We have a fairly good indication this is how the fangs were used, because finding evidence of the sabre teeth hitting bone (such as gouges in prey bones) is very rare. Additionally, even though Smilodon couldn’t bite down as hard as a tiger or lion, its teeth and skull were designed to handle far more torque and stress force from back and forth motion. And weaker it was in crush force, because of how sharp the fangs were, it was plenty to get the fangs to stab through when adding in the powerful neck muscles driving the head down.

Arguably the scariest part would be, if you were in Pleistocene New World, you probably would never see the sabretooth coming. Smilodon lived across multiple habitats, but the favorite was the loose scrubwood was dominated the continents. The Ice Age wasn’t all blizzards and cold, and in fact Smilodon seemed to specifically prefer areas without large amounts of frost. In many areas that are now desert and grasslands, they once looked more like this.

If you want a feel of the habitat Smilodon lived in, go have a look at Texas or Florida forests with a mix of Patagonian woods. The brush was dense outside of game trails, dominated by grays and browns. Fittingly, Smilodon was almost certainly colored to match the setting. Despite the label of “Sabretooth Tiger”, Smilodon’s body coat was likely closer to a bobcat as they occupy similar environments. So think less tiger stripes and more alternating light and dark patches with spots and a mottled main coat.

Now to give a perspective, spot the bobcat

Or this leopard

or this... you know what, I'm not even going to tell you what cats here

If it took you more than a few seconds, the Smilodon would have already been upon you if it wanted to. And this is with me telling you there is a bobcat in that little box. Had you not known, it be no fault of your own for not spotting it. And with superb night vision, a sense of smell better than most modern felines, and some of the best hearing in the Carnivora dynasty, it would be able to find its prey just fine. It would know you were there long before you knew.


And there is a possibility Smilodon didn’t live alone. There are two signs of evidence to suggest the greatest of the blade fangs might have been social. Now bear in mind behavior of ancient animals very rarely fossilizes in a way it leaves a big smoking gun. One of the few cases for instance are cave paintings made by early people contemporary to such creatures. For instance we know cave lions in Europe had small spots across their bodies (not surprising as modern lions are close cousins to leopards and have spots as cubs) and the males likely had only small manes. However either due to exposure to the elements, erosion, and the rising sea levels drowning most of he inhabited coastline; the ancient forebears to the Native Americans don’t have surviving artwork of sabretooths despite definitely making artwork. The few surviving New World artworks are isolated, faded, and often had their paints fall out due to exposure.

As such, insight to sabretooth behavior must be inferred from the fossils. The La Brea tar pits are an excellent example of a predator-trap. As liquid asphalt bubbled up from the ground, it would gather in a pool. Overtime, water and leaves would accumulate on top of the non-permeable liquid and mask it. To a thirsty animal, it would look like any regular pond until they took a step into it and got stuck. Their distress cries and weakening struggles would draw in predators who in turn would get stuck, which would draw in more scavengers, and so on and so on in a feedback loop continuing for thousands of years. The two most common predators in the pits by far are Smilodon fatalis and Canis dirus, the “Dire Wolf” (though “Coyote” is a more accurate relation term).

The sheer numbers present offer multiple possible explanations. Like all members of the genus Canis, Canis dirus was almost certainly social and analysis of its prey items show it was capable of bringing down big game. This suggest it very, very likely hunted and lived in packs. Thus this would explain why there are so many Canis dirus in the tar pits as the pack would be drawn to an easy meal and either all get stuck at once or gradually keep getting trapped in attempts to answer distress calls by their compatriots. A similar explanation might serve the sabretooth’s heavy presence. However alternative explanations such as Smilodon fatalis merely being just very common in general could be offered.

A possible counterpoint to using La Brea’s numbers as a means of showing the sabretooth was social was that the “American Lion”, Panthera atrox, had a different level of occurrence. Panthera atrox was of comparable size to Smilodon fatalis with some extreme examples being even larger, though smaller than Smilodon populator. Atrox is known from La Brea as well, but in far lower numbers than the sabretooth. Again though, what exactly to make of this is difficult to tell. Atrox’s social habits are not known either so the assumption it was similar to modern lions and lived in groups might be overzealous. It might have only lived in mated pairs, solitarily like leopards, or in prides like modern lions. If it was the latter, then Smilodon’s higher occurrence in La Brea couldn’t be explained by social behavior. If it was the case Smilodon was social and Atrox was solitary, then the sabretooth’s higher occurrence could be explained by social behavior.

Alternatively, both might have had similar social groups and Atrox merely was just less common in the region than Smilodon. Given the two hunted similar prey it make sense one being common in a region would suppress numbers of the other.

Two pieces of evidence can help at least tilt the odds in favor of Smilodon at least being social at times. Damaged and badly injured sabretooths have been found with potentially debilitating injuries. Some have suggested such wounds would have crippled its ability to hunt alone and thus had to have a group care for it. However, others have argued that felines are very resourceful carnivores and can heal and operate with drastic wounds so long as they have access to water and a means to scavenge carcasses during the recovery period. Meaning its not outlandish to think a lone sabretooth could continue to live and then thrive after a broken leg or hurt back if it was in such conditions.

Another piece of evidence put forth was that male sabretooths exhibit some degree of sexual dimorphism. Now sexual selection is very important in all animals, but even more so in social species as the female has a greater choice of potential bachelors to sire her offspring. And remember, even in social species with a male group leader; it is always the female that chooses her mate. A male trying to force himself on a nearly-as-big and equally well armed female is likely to find himself regretting the experience. Exaggerated traits in male animals like brighter feathers in birds, larger horns or antlers in dinosaurs and ungulates, and even behaviors like loud bellowing in alligators are all chiefly to show off to the females.

It is done because such traits are a handicap. It takes a lot of energy and vitamins to grow an impressive set of antlers, it leaves you exposed to have bright feathers, and behaviors like horn-locking shoving contests and mating dances come with a high risk of injury. If a male can perform such displays and grow such features while still being healthy, the female is receptive as she knows he has good genes she’ll want for her offspring. If he has a sickly set of antlers or feathers, flubs his displays, or has smaller horns which means he loses in shoving matches, there might be something less suitable in his genes so the female is more likely to avoid him to not risk having kids with such problems be they physical or behavioral. A good example in modern carnivorans are the two biggest types of seals, the leopard and elephant seal.

Both the leopard and elephant seal occupy similar niches as apex predators, consuming fish, seabirds, and other mammals while only fearing orcas and great whites. However the difference besides habitat (which do overlap) is in social structure and mate selection. Leopard seals live largely the solitary life whereas elephant seals are social and live in rookeries. A large female leopard seal and your average female elephant seal are actually pretty close to the same size at around 500-800 kilograms, but male elephant seals who compete for mates might be up to 4,000 kilograms and twice as long at up to 7 meters long as the most massive Carnivorans on the planet. In fact in leopard seals, typically its the females who are slightly larger than the males to permit more insulation to protect the unborn infant from the cold antarctic water.

Pictured, a large female leopard seal and a young male elephant seal for size comparison


Why? Because elephant seal males compete for mates where as solitary male leopard seals don’t. This is why elephant seal males are so freakishly huge and have massive noses which they inflate as a threat display and increase the volume of their roars; both traits absent in the females. By being bigger and louder, a male can better compete against other males to impress the females who will pick him over smaller and less derived males, increasing his chances of reproducing and creating offspring who in turn will be bigger and sport more exaggerated traits in a generational positive feedback loop. In comparison, male and female leopard seals are virtually indistinguishable to the untrained eye because as solitary animals, its very rare for a female leopard seal to encounter more than one male at the same time when in heat. No competition for female selection? No need for extreme traits.

Equal opportunity in creepiness...


We see this in most social species, terrestrial and marine. Most social whales and dolphins, canines, crocodilians (social in mating season), elephants, ungulates, and primates all have larger males or males sporting exaggerated traits. There are exceptions to the male exaggerations, such as spotted hyena females being much larger and robust than males, but the rule of ‘one sex is exaggerated’ holds true. This is also observed in lions, the primary social felines, in which males typically sport large manes and a larger body size (of about 20-35% heavier) in comparison to a lioness.

However here’s where it gets tricky with sabretooths. Morphological research indicates there is a size difference between males and females with males being bigger. Seems straightforward to indicate social habits right? Bigger males = competition for mates = social habits because the females have a mate choice…. Not exactly. Remember how I said “We see this in most social species”?

There are always exceptions, almost always so with less crazy sexual dimorphism. If Smilodon had a dimorphism to the level of elephant seals, yes that be pretty damn close to a smoking gun for social living. The problem is Smilodon’s dimorphism is poorly defined and seems not significant with a large degree of overlap. In essence if a typical female Smilodon fatalis male was 250 kilograms and a female was 210 kilograms, it wouldn’t be outlandish to find a female over 255 kilograms. This degree of overlap matches that found in lions, but it also matches the size difference found in leopards, tigers, and jaguars; all of whom are chiefly solitary hunters who’s males only use their greater size to patrol and guard a territory one or more females occupy. Mate selection isn’t exclusive to social species.

If a preserved body or artistic depiction of a male sabretooth clearly showing a soft tissue trait different than females such as a mane, denser muscles, different colors, or coat pattern was found; that could help clarify this problem question. While male leopards, tigers, jaguars, pumas, and most felines in general have larger males, the males and the females are visually near identical. The lion is the only one to have a large visual difference to signal social females.


This whole runaround is meant to highlight how rare smoking guns are in Paleontology. Behavior almost never fossilizes and the exact look of creatures man was even contemporary to are often unknown without the handiwork of some ancient skilled artisan surviving into the modern day. Between the sabretooth’s largely temperate climate not leaving frozen specimens, exposure and rising sea levels destroying archaic human sites that might have had representations, and the ambiguity of the hard evidence makes the answer elusive.

What do I think? Hard to say. One thing to remember is behavior can drastically differ between species in the same genus. Of the three species of Smilodon, one might have been social and the other two solitary, they might all be solitary, might all be social, or two of the three were social and one was solitary. Tigers and lions are in the same genus (Panthera tigris and Panthera leo), can even live in similar environments, and yet they behave very differently. A potential counterpoint to sabretooths being social involves difference in kill methods compared to modern conical-toothed felines.

Modern felines kill large or comparable sized game in one of three ways typically. The first is a throttling-bite, which is done by biting the front of the neck or the snout and closing off the airways until the prey suffocates. The second is a bite to the jugular, using the canine teeth to hook and rip out the vein and nearby arteries to cause blood loss. The third, largely exclusive to Pantherids and the Mountain lion on account of size, is to bite the back of the neck and crunch down, forcing the canines between the vertebrae to break the spinal cord.

In the case of lions, they largely use a throttling bite on large game such as buffalo and zebra. This requires them to lock their jaws down and hang on, which is usually easiest when the prey is pinned down. Such an action is greatly aided by chasing their prey down in a group and dog piling it, having some lionesses trip up and drag the prey down while another throttles it. This takes time, so having multiple lionesses, or if he’s present, the pride male(s), hold the prey down.

Sabretooths by design are built to kill big game quickly. Those fangs are special designed to knife into the throat, slash the veins and arteries, and rip out the windpipe in a quick motion. And this is done after using its massive, bulky body not to run its prey down like a lion, but to ambush them in close range and perform a takedown before the prey knows what hit them. And isotope testing on various Smilodon indicate they were chiefly eating horse, buffalo, and other medium to medium-large ungulates between 400-2,000 kilograms. Big prey, but not so huge it wouldn’t be possible for just a single 180-250 kg S.fatalis, much less a 450+kg S.populator to knock it down in a tackle if it caught the prey unawares.

You don’t need your buddies to help hold down the steak dinner if you can carve it up in a few seconds with your trusty knives. Wouldn’t matter if they had to be careful in their bites to avoid breaking a tooth when you got the gun-show of hulk-forelimbs to hold the buffalo down for the few seconds you need.

Other Machariodontids might have stronger evidence for group hunting. Homotherium for instance and other scimitar toothed felines were not nearly as burly as Smilodon, more suited for distance running, and yet have evidence of hunting big game like large bovines and young mammoths. Having a tag-team or gang of hunting companions could certainly offset the strength difference between it and the sabretoothed felines and allow them to compete with pantherids.

That said, social hunting and social living aren’t always tied together. Ice age North America was a nasty place and having an extra set of fangs and claws defend the den and cubs is always a plus. So if not full on prides that hunted together, it is possible Smilodon lived in clans for protection. Striped and brown hyenas have a similar habit where they hunt and forage alone, but group together in clans for living space to protect their young and each other better from other predators such as Spotted Hyenas and Painted Wild Dogs. Smilodon could have had similar and thus respond to each other’s distress call of a clan member, explaining the predator trap occurrence. Could have also been a lower key example with a mated pair living with their younger and older offspring, similar to how wolf and jackal packs work.

Or, perhaps they’d team up on targets of opportunity or when they happened to be in the same place; but would hunt solo elsewhere. Verdict is still really out on the social habits of sabretooths.


Now there is a more recent hypothesis with sabretooths I feel need some notice. Almost every single image someone has seen of Smilodon and its compatriots have its big gleaming fangs bared for all to see. But some have suggested sabretoothed and scimitar toothed felines actually had giant lips and jowls not unlike a mastiff or bulldog.

This isn’t without merit. Lots of animals with big teeth have said teeth covered up by lips. The clouded leopard, for instance, has fangs comparable in length to a tiger and is only 1/8th the mass. Its upper canines are so long they extend to the bottom of its chin height. And yet when the clouded leopard holds its mouth closed, its slightly larger than normal lips sheath the fangs.

The unseen weapon is the deadliest…

There is a reason for this as enamel, the outer covering present on most animal teeth, usually requires some hydration to stay healthy. And other sabretoothed animals show signs of having “sheaths” to fit their fangs into. Thylacosmilus, a marsupial relative, had such.

The “Pseudo-feline” relative Barbourofelis had similar.

Smilodon didn’t have the sheaths on the lower jaw, so some suggest it have huge, lip flaps on the top jaw to do the job. There is one piece of solid evidence for such is the one possible depiction of a Machariodontid in artwork.

In 1896, in the French cave of Isturitz, a 16-cm long statuette of a big cat was discovered. Originally thought to depict a cave lion, Vratislav Mazak speculated the possible short tail and deep jaw meant this figure actually depicted a scimitar toothed feline, our old friend Homotherium. The figure was lost, but an illustration was made and then copied, of which is pictured below.

Now there are some traits that don’t align the figure with a Homotherium such as the round, short muzzle (Homotherium had a notably long snout), rounded forehead, stubby legs, and spots along the belly and flanks could mean the figure actually depicts a lion cub who’s tail had been worn off. Alternatively though, the differing traits could be caused by artistic license or details being fudged in the illustrations. Its dating is also tricky to pinpoint so it might have been when Homo sapiens sapiens/neanderthalensis was contemporary to Homotherium, or it might have been long after.

However, if it does genuinely depict a scimitar toothed cat it is very significant as… you can’t see the scimitar teeth! Just a huge lantern-jaw that make Batman jealous.

So did Smilodon look like a big jowled hound dog before it ripped a buffalo's throat out?

I can hear uproars from the same crowd still salty over the feathered raptors…. Only this time they can calm the heck down over ruined childhoods. Hypothesis is bunk. Why? After if Homotherium was kin to Smilodon and the figure potentially shows one and Homotherium also has the sheath formations present on the lower jaw, wouldn’t this be more accurate?

Tell me, look at this Smilodon skull compared to both the Homotherium skull and above skulls shown earlier.

Smilodon does not have the sheaths. Without those, any big hanging lips would have nothing to hold against to create a seal. Ever walk around your lips parted for a few minutes? Dries your mouth our quick even if your lips are covering your teeth. And Smilodon’s teeth are huge, longer proportionally and physically than any other sabretooth, cat or not. And certain types of tooth dentin and enamel can cope being dry just fine, such as the cast of crocodilian teeth and every single animal with tusks. And cats are notoriously clean animals so it’s not outlandish to think Smilodon could keep its sabres clean just fine by cleaning itself and licking them ever so often.

In fact, having smaller lips in more traditional restorations actually would create a better seal by curving around the canine fangs and thus closing off the mouth. More likely than not, Smilo didn’t look like Beethoven (the dog).


Oh and one last thing about Smilodon. It had one heck of a roar. We often imagine prehistoric predators roaring loudly, but in reality most dinosaurs and other prehistoric carnivores weren't all that vocal. Pantherids, on the other hand, are Carnivorans, the roaring kings and queens of the animal kingdom. In fact roaring is a diagnostic trait between Pantherids and Felids as the latter can't roar but the former all can regardless of size. Your average Mountain Lion (a felid) can be bigger than a Leopard (a pantherid), but the leopard can roar and the Mountain Lion can't.

Studies on the bones that held the tongue and vocal cords in place as well as the shape of the neck all show Smilodon had both a high probability of being able to vocalize similar to a tiger, thus likely could roar; but could even be potentially louder and deeper.

So imagine this but deeper and louder...

People have actually had eardrums burst and gone deaf from a lion or tiger roaring in their face from the sheer volume.

Now here's the real scary part. For centuries some have observed prey animals seizing up before a big cat rushed them and went on the attack. Even experienced human hunters and soldiers have reported freezing up and feeling unshakable terror and impact like they got the wind knocked out of them with a trembling feeling despite not hearing anything. Recent research is beginning to indicate this actually is the effects of an infrasonic roar that overloads prey's sensory input and puts them off balance, allowing the pantherid to rapidly close in and hit them while they're stunned. The infrasound is outside the range of human hearing, but can still be felt and have an effect.

Given Smilodon having a remarkably similar throat structure and vocal range to large pantherids, it is very probable they could pull this off to.

Puddy Tat Trivia

-The exact reason for Smilodon and other Machairodontids' extinction is still very unclear. It used to be suggested it was caused by lack of large prey, however bison were a common prey item for Smilodon and remained numerous. It could be rather a change in environment with more open terrain which would make ambushes hard to make. However this wouldn't explain why Smilodon still perished in locations the environment didn't change all that much such as Florida, Texas, and Patagonia. Additionally, speedy Machairodontids such as Homotherium also died out at about the same time. Other large felines such as Panthera atrox and the two north American cheetahs also perished. The only large New World felines to survive were the puma and jaguar, and only in South America where they spread back out from.

-Contrary to belief, Smilodon had nothing to do with the extinction of several South American carnivores when migrating to it. Thylacosmilus went extinct thousands of years before Smilodon ever showed up on the continent and the "Terror Birds" survived for a long period afterwards.

-While other sabretooths did live in Africa, Europe, and Asia, Smilodon was strictly a New World genus. Thus any times you've seen a Smilodon in movies taking place in Ice Age Old World, it's out of place. Some examples include "Ice Age" (Franchise) and "10,000 B.C."

Comments ( 46 )

"If it took you more than a few seconds, the Smilodon would have already been upon you if it wanted to."
Huzzah, it took me .5 seconds!

Been waiting for this one! ^_^

You learn something new every day. Wow... I once read somebody compared Smilodon to bears in terms of bulk and weight, but frankly this new post about them makes them even scarier to me. Bears don't have retractable claws and saber teeth!

Now to give a perspective, spot the bobcat

If it took you more than a few seconds, the Smilodon would have already been upon you if it wanted to. And this is with me telling you there is a bobcat in that little box. Had you not known, it be no fault of your own for not spotting it. And with superb night vision, a sense of smell better than most modern felines, and some of the best hearing in the Carnivora dynasty, it would be able to find its prey just fine. It would know you were there long before you knew.

I actually spotted the Bobcat near instantly. Though as you yourself have stated, I might not have seen it as quickly if you didn't tell me what to look for, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't have thought much about it.

still could be cute though...

Hah! Even you admit it. :ajsmug:

I am already dead, seeing as it took 7 seconds to see the Bobcat

4965047

I actually spotted the Bobcat near instantly. Though as you yourself have stated, I might not have seen it as quickly if you didn't tell me what to look for, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't have thought much about it.

Quite true, and consider we as primates have exceptionally good color contrast vision. Most mammals are red-green color blind so they wouldn't be able to pick up on the contrasts we can.

4965028
Hard mode, added

Epic! Also adorable,as all kitties are. Also, I am not the least bit surprised the felines have figured out how to override other beings will with a cry, housecats have been doing it forever, their vocalizations tend to be pitched just right to trigger the same parts of a human brain as a crying baby, which most people are pretty hardwired to respond to. Let us just admit, they are the real rulers of the world.

And since I just started reading it and it is awesome, obligatory plug for Codex Alera, since it has these bad boys in it. Right alongside Roman Legionnaires who are all Avatar TLAB style benders by way of Pokemon (The whole series started as a bet by the author that a good writer can make any concept work, and was given "The lost IX Legion crossed with Pokemon" as a 'prove it') giant ground sloths, terror birds, ice giants, nine foot tall wolf-men, hordes of beast master barbarians, and the Zerg, and so so much badass awesomeness.

4965064
Took me perhaps around 4 seconds to find the leopard, and 1 to the mystery cat.

4965068
Where is it and what species?

4965073
I believe I found at least one on the vertex of the upper path, and possibly another where the upper and lower paths cross. Though I can't quite tell which species, I'm not a feline expert.

4965077
What part of it can you see? One of those two is definitely wrong and the other might be right ;)

4965083
Another Ghidorah-Fan? Sweet!

4965086
And I'm guessing you must be a new guy to this fandom?

4965083
Well then you got one of them, they're Snow leopards by the way

4965087
I have read the series at least twice, I'm G-fan so i have been......reluctant to get an account for this website do to the midget horses with magic butt tattoos. but even with the midget horses with magic butt tattoos (aka "ponies") I still love the story!
(G-fan 4 life)

4965093
Enough of a win for me.

4965095
So how long have you been here?

4965097
how long I've been here on this blog or how long i've been a fan of this story?

4965100
Fan of the story, obviously.

4965101
1 or 2 years
(edit: of the story I mean)

4965102
I've been here since 2016 at least.

Yeah, Smilodon was not a cat to tango with, but consider the creatures it had to compete with (Phourosrachids, AKA 'Terror Birds' to name one), those teeth may have also been used to intimidate rivals and anything that tried to attack it.

Walking With Beasts had a really good episode that followed a Smilodon pride, mainly focusing on a single male.

How often do both smillodon and terror birds constantly battle each other for territory and other stuff? And what is the survival chance is for a smilodon against the birds?

4965138
Almost all extreme traits in nature have more than one function, often a practical and a visual one. The sabreteeth certainly were weapons, but all Carnivorans were bare their fangs as a threat display. And given sheer size of both the teeth and animal, especially with its hairs raised up and muscles flexed. Predators usually ignore or give each other their space and Terror Birds likely didn't hunt the same prey as Smilodon to begin with, targeting faster moving deer, elk, and horses. Smilodon's more direct competition would probably be from dire wolves, large bears, and Panthera atrox.


4965139
They probably wouldn't fight at all given they didn't eat the same food and thus wouldn't compete. Smilodon primarily dined on slower moving, much bulkier prey whereas Terror birds like Titanis primarily preyed on swifter, faster prey like antelope, deer, elk, and horses. Given they could both seriously hurt the other between the bird's bone cracking kicks, talons, and pecks, and the cat's massive claws, sheer force, and fangs; they probably wouldn't risk a fight. Heck unless young were involved they probably just ignored each other.

4965157
Probably not, but they probably did fight over dining rights if the carcass was big enough.

These are always fun and varying degrees of infromative, this was one of the subjects i knew most about.
Some snarks:
The Elephant seal is cuter then the baby cat.
I found the Leopard immeadiately, and the..i think its a snow leopard...before too long, but it took me minutes to find the bobcat
"A Recent discovery in 2005" , Ok, the early 2000's were long enough ago that they are not recent anymore, relativly recent at best here.

4965160
"Fight" in the sense of vocalizing and threat displays and seeing who backs off first. Predators almost never outright fight, especially if their diets don't overlap and they'd only be a threat to offspring in a marginal sense.

4965163
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Which seemed more informative by the way?

"A Recent discovery in 2005" , Ok, the early 2000's were long enough ago that they are not recent anymore, relativly recent at best here.

It's 13 years, that's less than two decades ago and the study I was referencing has been mostly ongoing since. Not to mention the technology used is still in widespread implementation. :twilightsheepish:

Typically in scientific literature, it's two decades, sometimes three depending on discipline before something isn't 'recent' because it usually takes that long before the previous hypothesis is either vindicated or has evidence against it surfacing. Depends on the field a lot and how new that field is. Least that's how I was taught.

I never really understood why they were called Sabertoothed Tigers. Most depictions of them don't look anything like tigers.

As for their extinction...I guess it's a lesson in how it takes more than raw power to survive.

Yikes.

With all that in mind, it's honestly surprising there aren't more monster movies about them but like 80 million different shark movies (still can't believe Syfy hasn't done Sky Sharks yet). The original Sabretooth was good at least.

It's stuff like this that makes me wish Sentai and Power Rangers would let the individual zords do more, since Yellow's Sabretooth could've been epic if it lived up to its animal inspiration.

The whole thing with sexual dimorphism is also interesting, especially why males have the exaggerated traits. Though given how much bigger and more developed his dorsal spines are, that suddenly makes Junior being an unwitting chick magnet both more ironic and infinitely more amusing...

I love these paleo profiles, they're so informative...and also normally terrifying.

4965199
Probably related to referring to the big cat in terms of the biggest cat people knew of and the general assumption a lot of laymen made in decades past that the "prehistoric world" contained only old versions of animals alive today. Ergo the knowledge that actual tigers are about as old as Smilodon wasn't widespread or made much sense to them. And very early into the groups discovery, some Paleontologists did consider Machairodontids potential ancestors of Pantherids, until it became clear they weren't.

Yep, though to be fair the sabretooths had a good run and it took a freak extinction event to kill them and a whole slew of animals big and small off. Mountain Lions for instance are some of the most adaptable large carnivores in existence and they just barely made it through.

4965208
Eh, probably harder to animate a furry mammal vs. a relative smooth shark or snake. Plus I'd imagine run cycles are harder to animate over swimming. I do agree though, the 2002 Sabretooth film was actually pretty decent for TV creature-feature films. Animatronic and puppet they used holds up well. For a good substitute, check out "Ghost and the Darkness" and to a less extent "Maneater" which have the Tsavo Lions and a tiger respectively. Good films and they actually used trained animal actors for 90% of the shots.


But honestly, if one wants to make a creature feature with a realistic animal predator, a big feline is a perfect choice. Especially a prehistoric one who wouldn't fear modern humans for their guns. We got solid evidence of large felines eating Hominins from Australopithecus all the way to archaic Homo sapiens. Until we got group hunting and projectile use nailed, they were out natural predators. Not much things scarier than something that could stalk you over land, in the trees, or water, outrun you, out fight you, and is smart enough to set an ambush and wait you out from a spot you can't see it but it can see you.

The whole thing with sexual dimorphism is also interesting, especially why males have the exaggerated traits. Though given how much bigger and more developed his dorsal spines are, that suddenly makes Junior being an unwitting chick magnet both more ironic and infinitely more amusing...

You know... I never considered that. Junior, since I used the 2002 suit for his main body, has absolutely HUGE dorsal spines compared to every other male of his species. My God it makes sense now...

I think I see the other snow leopard, left to the top one, and near a patch of grey rock.

4965221
Biiiiiingo. Now spare a thought for most prey items. Felines hunt at night so this would be 20x harder.

4965223
SOB! I had suspected for awhile that there was either a second, or third leopard there, but I doubted myself at the time.

4965217
Not to mention that they're a very recognizable design that just looks intimidating.

And yeah, it really does explain a lot about Junior.

Of course there's also the fact that in Equestria those spines translate into very unique markings on his back, which if his being gigantic didn't draw attention, certainly would.

4965157
Wow that’s really a surprise then I guess it’s inaccurate for the shows to depicted The battle. One more question are there still more smilodon fossils still being found? And what was the most recent one?

4965217

You know... I never considered that. Junior, since I used the 2002 suit for his main body, has absolutely HUGE dorsal spines compared to every other male of his species. My God it makes sense now...

Combined with his swole body, towering height, a deep & rumbling voice, and you've got a Schwarzenegger-eque Mr. Fanservice with Junior. The guy's practically glowing with Masculinity.

4965064
oh no!

Spotted two mountain lions in 1.0 seconds, but where is that leopard.

EDIT: on the second try I found it after .5 seconds.

Very interesting read. Is Dinofelis, a sabertoothed cat from ancient Africa, considered a close relative to the Smilodons or is it believed that they are distantly related via a common ancestor?

4965680
Distant relative with a common ancestor, but a Machairodontid none the less. Smilodon is a part of Smilodontini with it's most probable ancestor being Megantereon, who was a contemporary of Dinofelis (who was part of Metailurini with, and I am not joking, Yoshi.

5:30 for the moment of glory that'll make you never want to be a lion's scratching post

*Watches clip*

Gnarly.

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