Smilodon is a genus of felids belonging to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae. 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. Smilodon lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene epoch (2.5 mya – 10,000 years ago). The genus was named in 1842 based on fossils from Brazil; the generic name means "scalpel" or "two-edged knife" combined with "tooth". 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 55 to 100 kg (120 to 220 lb) in weight. S. fatalis had a weight of 160 to 280 kg (350 to 620 lb) and height of 100 cm (39 in). Both of these species are mainly known from North America, but remains from South America have also been attributed to them. S. populator from South America was the largest species, at 220 to 436 kg (485 to 961 lb) in weight and 120 cm (47 in) 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.
In North America, Smilodon hunted large herbivores such as bison and camels, and it remained successful even when encountering new prey species in South America. Smilodon is thought to have killed its prey by holding it still with its forelimbs and biting it, but it is unclear in what manner the bite itself was delivered. Scientists debate whether Smilodon had a social or a solitary lifestyle; analysis of modern predator behavior as well as of Smilodon's fossil remains could be construed to lend support to either view. Smilodon probably lived in closed habitats such as forests and bush, which would have provided cover for ambushing prey. Smilodon died out at the same time that most North and South American megafauna disappeared, about 10,000 years ago. Its reliance on large animals has been proposed as the cause of its extinction. S. fatalis may have been impacted by habitat turnover and loss of prey it specialized on due to possible climatic plus anthropogenic impacts and other factors while the extinction of S. populator remains poorly understood.
Smilodon is a genus of felids belonging to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae. It is one of the best known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric...
predators commonly known as "saber-toothed cats", including the famed genus Smilodon, as well as other cats with only minor increases in the size and length...
based on different predators that lived in the Cenozoic era, including Smilodon and C. megalodon. The series investigated how such beasts hunted and fought...
approximately 10.3 million years. As the name suggests, the famous genus of Smilodon is part of this group, but there are also three other distinct genera in...
Gaildorf Alumn Mine in southern Germany. Zanclodon was originally named Smilodon by Plieninger (1846), but this name had previously been used for the saber-toothed...
Pleistocene epochs from around 4 million to 12,000 years ago. In comparison to Smilodon, the canines of Homotherium were shorter, and it was probably adapted to...
"saber-toothed cats", it was not a felid, like the well-known North American Smilodon, but a sparassodont, a group closely related to marsupials, and only superficially...
Eurasia, and Africa. It is closely related to and possibly the ancestor of Smilodon. The true number of species may be less than the full list of described...
Douglas-Hamilton as herself, a big cat specialist, whom Nigel invites back to catch Smilodon in episode 4. When the animals are brought back to the park, they are placed...
Machairodontinae, which range from the type genus Machairodus of the late Miocene to Smilodon of the Pleistocene. The "false saber-toothed cats", the Barbourofelidae...
fragments) have been recovered from the tar pits, with the remains ranging from Smilodon to squirrels, invertebrates, and plants. The time period represented in...
level of at least 4. Among more recent fossils, the saber-tooth cats, like Smilodon, are considered to have been apex predators in the Cenozoic. Humans hunted...
created a niche partition between it and other felids like the saber-toothed Smilodon which hunted in open environments. Fossils attributed to Panthera balamoides...
to exhibit dwarfism. Ligers are about the same size as the prehistoric Smilodon populator and American lion. Hercules, the largest non-obese liger, is...
Pleistocene extinctions some 10,000 years ago, when other large mammals, such as Smilodon, also disappeared. North America was then repopulated by South American...
ancient bison, and the state fossil of California, the saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis). The park is known for producing myriad mammal fossils dating...
franchise's new logo, a saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis). The logo was a reference to a partial Smilodon skeleton found beneath downtown Nashville...
of American lions are not as abundant as those of other predators like Smilodon fatalis or dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) at the La Brea Tar Pits. This suggests...
this species dies out, it will be the first feline extinction since the Smilodon 10,000 years ago. The species used to be classified as a subspecies of...
interaction and speciation, in addition to an overview of the series. A pair of Smilodon brothers successfully take down a terror bird, a mother Maiasaura navigates...
closely resembles Nothrotheriops shastensis among ground sloths. Diego is a Smilodon found in all five of the films. He is Shira's love interest. He has a sardonic...
Arbor Charlotte Coben 1 March 2024 (2024-03-01) 2 "Enigmatic Adorable Smilodon of Opposition" Sam Arbor Charlotte Coben 1 March 2024 (2024-03-01) 3 "Tested...
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