Smilodon
Sign in to saveSmilodon is a genus of extinct felids. It is one of the best-known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric mammals. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely related to the tiger or other modern cats, belonging to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae, with an estimated date of divergence from the ancestor of living cats around 20 million years ago. Smilodon was one of the last surviving machairodonts alongside Homotherium. Smilodon lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene to early Holocene epoch (2.5 mya – at latest 8,200 years ago). The genus was named in 18
AI overview
Smilodon was a large, extinct cat with distinctive long saber-like teeth that lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene epoch, though it was not closely related to modern tigers despite its common nickname. It represents one of the last surviving members of an ancient group of saber-toothed predators that diverged from the ancestors of today's cats around 20 million years ago, making it an important example of prehistoric mammalian predators.
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Article
18 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Evolution
- Description
- Skeleton
- External features
- Paleobiology
- Limb movements
- Diet
- Bite mechanics
- Social behavior
- Development
- Paleopathology
- Natural traps
- Distribution and habitat
- Extinction
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
Smilodon is a genus of extinct felids. It is one of the best-known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric mammals. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely related to the tiger or other modern cats, belonging to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae, with an estimated date of divergence from the ancestor of living cats around 20 million years ago. Smilodon was one of the last surviving machairodonts alongside Homotherium. Smilodon lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene to early Holocene epoch (2.5 mya – at latest 8,200 years ago). The genus was named in 1842 based on fossils from Brazil; the generic name means or combined with . Three species are recognized today: S. gracilis, S. fatalis, and S. populator. The two latter species were probably descended from S. gracilis, which itself probably evolved from Megantereon. The hundreds of specimens obtained from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles constitute the largest collection of Smilodon fossils.
Overall, Smilodon was more robustly built than any extant cat, with particularly well-developed forelimbs and exceptionally long upper canine teeth. Its jaw had a bigger gape than that of modern cats, and its upper canines were slender and fragile, being adapted for precision killing. S. gracilis was the smallest species at in weight. S. fatalis had a weight of and height of . Both of these species are mainly known from North America, but remains from South America have also been attributed to them (primarily from the northwest of the continent). S. populator from South America was the largest species, at in weight and in height, and was among the largest known felids. The coat pattern of Smilodon is unknown, but it has been artistically restored with plain or spotted patterns.