Grab & Go

NAME: Sabertooth Cat

CLASSIFICATION: Smilodon fatalis, Class Mammalia, Order Carnivora, Family Felidae

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT: Also known as the “saber-toothed tiger,” Smilodon is the California State Fossil and the second most common fossil found in the La Brea tar pits. (The name is misleading because these animals are not closely related to tigers.) Smilodon is a relatively recent sabertooth, living in the Early to Late Pleistocene, from about 1.8 mya to its extinction –10,000 years ago. Fossils have been found all over North America and Europe.

DESCRIPTION AND DIET: Based on the bones found, Smilodon was about a foot shorter than living lions but was nearly twice as heavy. Also, unlike cheetahs and lions (which have long tails that help provide balance when the animals run), Smilodon had a bobtail. These characteristics suggest that it did not chase down prey animals over long distances, but probably charged from ambush, waiting for its prey to come close before attacking.

Smilodon probably preyed on a wide variety of large game including bison, deer, Ameri- can camels, horses, ground sloths and possibly juvenile mammoths. With its extremely long canines, it probably used great upper-body strength to wrestle prey to the ground, where its long canines could deliver a deep stabbing bite to the throat and thus kill the prey very quickly.

PREDATORS: Predators, if any, are unknown. Extinction of Smilodon occurred when many other large mammals also became extinct. It may be that prehistoric humans were responsible for their extinction. Or it may have been caused by the end of the Ice Age, with its shrinking environments and changing vegetation patterns. In fact, the rea- sons are not known.

REPRODUCTION: Occasional finds of sabertooth-sized holes in Smilodon bones sug- gest that its social life was not always peaceful. The cats may have fought over food, or mates as lions do today. But nothing of its reproductive behavior is actually known.

LIFE SPAN AND CONSERVATION: Unknown life span; now extinct. Grab & Go

INTERESTING FACTS: The saber-tooth morphology is an excellent example of conver- gent evolution as it appeared in several evolutionary lineages independently.

Smilodon appears to have lived in packs and had a social structure like modern lions. Also La Brea fossils show evidence of serious fracture injuries, or crippling degenerative diseases. Yet many of these bones show extensive healing and regrowth. Thus, it seems most likely that they were cared for, or at least allowed to feed, by other saber- toothed cats.

WHERE IN THE ACADEMY? California Climate Change, “Endangered and Extinct” Species

C:\CAS GRAB N GO SPECIMEN –SABERTOOTH CAT