Smilodontini
Smilodontini is an extinct tribe within the Machairodontinae or "saber-toothed cat" subfamily of the Felidae. The tribe is also known as the "dirk-toothed cats". They were found in South America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Middle Miocene to early Holocene, from 15 mya—8,200 years ago.
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Description
- Classification
- Phylogeny
- Paleobiology
- References
Smilodontini is an extinct tribe within the Machairodontinae or "saber-toothed cat" subfamily of the Felidae. The tribe is also known as the "dirk-toothed cats". They were found in South America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Middle Miocene to early Holocene, from 15 mya—8,200 years ago.
As the name suggests, the famous genus of Smilodon is part of this group, but there are also three other distinct genera in Smilodontini. The earliest known genus of the tribe is Promegantereon, once thought to be a species of Paramachairodus. The tribe only became extinct 10,000 years ago, with the demise of Smilodon. All of these are saber-toothed cats, meaning that they have long, narrow upper canines and stocky, well muscled proportions.