DOCSLIB.ORG

Saber-Toothed Cat

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Saber-Toothed Cat National Park Service White Sands U.S. Department of the Interior White Sands National Monument Saber-Toothed Cat Saber-Toothed Cats / Smilodon fatalis (NPS Photo) aber-toothed cats (Smilodon fatalis), also known as the saber-toothed tigers or simply smilodons, are some of Sthe most iconic ice age animals. Their claims to fame are their oversized canine teeth, which could reach up to seven to eight inches (17-20 centimeters) long! These big cats lived during the tail made it better suited for ambush called Lake Otero. This lake attracted Pleistocene epoch, appearing in the attacks. It would use its powerful, a number of ice age mammals, fossil record about 800,000 years ago. front legs to grab and hold prey so including sloths, mammoths, camels, Although they are not the only saber- that it could use its formidable saber- and, of course, saber-toothed cats. toothed carnivore to live during that like teeth, which were serrated along period, they are certainly the best- the front and back edges like a steak These cats were tenacious and known. knife. The saber-toothed cat would adaptable animals, thriving for slash at its prey’s belly or throat before hundreds of thousands of years Saber-toothed cats may be known retreating and waiting for the unlucky before their time finally came to an as tigers or lions, but names can be animal to die. However, it would end. Saber-toothed cats went extinct deceiving! These cats are actually likely not have attacked its prey’s between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago, not directly related to modern tigers back or neck, as the strong muscles as the ice age drew to an end and their or lions. Rather, they were a unique in this area of the body could break prey began to die out. Even so, these group of animals, standing up to the cat’s teeth. The saber-toothed cat formidable hunters certainly left their three feet (1 m) tall at the shoulder, mostly hunted the large, slow-moving mark on the world – quite literally 5.5 feet (1.7 m) in length, and up to animals that were plentiful at the time, here at White Sands, as we have found 750 pounds (340 kg) in weight. They like sloths, bison, and even young their footprints! These prints are would have been somewhat similar mammoths and mastodons. part of our Pleistocene trackway, a to lions, though shorter and almost collection of footprints left behind by twice as heavy. This ambush-hunting style worked our ice age inhabitants thousands of well and helped saber-toothed cats years ago. The saber-tooth cat hunted with a to survive throughout the Americas. style all its own. Unlike modern big They spread from coast to coast, from cats, who have long legs and long southern Canada all the way to Peru. tails used for balance when running, They even lived here at White Sands! the saber-toothed cat was not very Keep in mind that back then the sand good at chasing-down prey. Its heavy, dunes did not exist, and the Tularosa bulky body, short legs, and bobbed Basin was home to an enormous lake Revised 09/5/2016.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Warm Weather Giants
    Warm Weather Giants New study delves into the relationship between climate and size in the Sabre-Tooth Cat Survival of the fittest. It is the underlying concept of natural selection, and the theory of evolution as a whole. The individuals best suited to their environment survive, procreate, and pass down their advantageous genes to future generations. Yet one factor that often is overlooked in this process is the dynamic nature of the environment. Climate change can cause dramatic shifts in an environment’s characteristics, completely changing the necessary skills and traits needed to survive. What was once an advantageous set of genes can quickly (in terms of an evolutionary time-scale) become a death sentence when they are present in an ill-suited setting. As we enter an era of dramatic and rapid warming of the planet, one can’t help but wonder how the world’s wildlife will change with their surroundings. When considering the future, it is often helpful to consult the past. Life on Earth is billions of years old, and has seen massive changes to the planet’s conditions. If we want to know more about how rapid climate change affects species, we must investigate the changes seen in prehistoric species in eras with an unsettled climate. “The Pleistocene period is really an ideal period to study,” says Dr. Julie Meachen from Des Moines University in Iowa. “It is recent enough that we have very good climate records with large swings in the conditions, and also have a well preserved fossil record from the tar pits.” Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Shape Evolution and Sexual Dimorphism in the Mandible of the Dire Wolf, Canis Dirus, at Rancho La Brea Alexandria L
    Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar Theses, Dissertations and Capstones 2014 Shape evolution and sexual dimorphism in the mandible of the dire wolf, Canis Dirus, at Rancho la Brea Alexandria L. Brannick [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/etd Part of the Animal Sciences Commons, and the Paleontology Commons Recommended Citation Brannick, Alexandria L., "Shape evolution and sexual dimorphism in the mandible of the dire wolf, Canis Dirus, at Rancho la Brea" (2014). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. Paper 804. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SHAPE EVOLUTION AND SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN THE MANDIBLE OF THE DIRE WOLF, CANIS DIRUS, AT RANCHO LA BREA A thesis submitted to the Graduate College of Marshall University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Biological Sciences by Alexandria L. Brannick Approved by Dr. F. Robin O’Keefe, Committee Chairperson Dr. Julie Meachen Dr. Paul Constantino Marshall University May 2014 ©2014 Alexandria L. Brannick ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank my advisor, Dr. F. Robin O’Keefe, for all of his help with this project, the many scientific opportunities he has given me, and his guidance throughout my graduate education. I thank Dr. Julie Meachen for her help with collecting data from the Page Museum, her insight and advice, as well as her support. I learned so much from Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • A NEW SABER-TOOTHED CAT from NEBRASKA Erwin H
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Conservation and Survey Division Natural Resources, School of 1915 A NEW SABER-TOOTHED CAT FROM NEBRASKA Erwin H. Barbour Nebraska Geological Survey Harold J. Cook Nebraska Geological Survey Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/conservationsurvey Part of the Geology Commons, Geomorphology Commons, Hydrology Commons, Paleontology Commons, Sedimentology Commons, Soil Science Commons, and the Stratigraphy Commons Barbour, Erwin H. and Cook, Harold J., "A NEW SABER-TOOTHED CAT FROM NEBRASKA" (1915). Conservation and Survey Division. 649. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/conservationsurvey/649 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Natural Resources, School of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Conservation and Survey Division by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 36c NEBRASKA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY ERWIN HINCKLEY BARBOUR, State Geologist VOLUME 4 PART 17 A NEW SABER-TOOTHED CAT FROM NEBRASKA BY ERWIN H. BARBOUR AND HAROLD J. COOK GEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS OF HON. CHARLES H. MORRILL 208 B A NEW SABER-TOOTHED CAT FROM NEBRASKA BY ERWIN H. BARBOUR AND HAROLD J, COOK During the field season of 1913, while exploring the Pliocene beds of Brown County, Mr. A. C. \Vhitford, a Fellow in the Department of Geology, University of Nebraska, discovered the mandible of a new mach.erodont cat. His work in this region was in the interest of the ~ebraska Geological Survey and the Morrill Geological Expeditions.1 The known fossil remains of the ancestral Felid.e fall into two nat­ ural lines of descent, as pointed out by Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Person, J.J. 2012. Saber Teeth. Geo News 39(2)
    Saber Teeth Jeff J. Person Carnivores of all kinds have always been of interest to me. Arguably Smilodon is only the last iteration of saber-teeth in the fossil it is a much more difficult lifestyle to hunt and kill another animal record. Carnivorous mammals with large sabers have appeared than it is to browse or graze on non-mobile plants. Carnivorous four times across unrelated groups of carnivorous mammals over animals have evolved to stalk and kill their prey in many, many the last 60 million years (or so) of Earth’s history. varied ways. Just think of the speed of a frog’s tongue or the speed of a cheetah, the stealth and camouflage of an octopus, Types of Saber-teeth or the intelligence of some birds. These are only a few examples Not only were there four different groups of mammals that of modern carnivores; the variety of carnivores through time is evolved saber-teeth separately, there are also two different kinds broader and even more fascinating. of saber-teeth. There are the dirk-toothed forms, and the scimitar- toothed forms. The scimitar-toothed animals tended to be more Convergent evolution is the reappearance of the same solution lightly built with coarsely serrated and somewhat elongated to a biological problem across unrelated groups of animals. This canines (fig. 1) (Martin, 1998a). The dirk-toothed animals tended has happened many times throughout Earth’s history. The similar to be more powerfully built with long, finely serrated, dagger-like body shapes of sharks, fish, ichthyosaurs (a group of swimming canines which sometimes included a large flange on the lower jaw reptiles) and dolphins is a great example of unrelated groups of (fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Quaternary Records of the Dire Wolf, Canis Dirus, in North and South America
    Quaternary records of the dire wolf, Canis dirus, in North and South America ROBERT G. DUNDAS Dundas, R. G. 1999 (September): Quaternary records of the dire wolf, Canis dirus, in North and South Ameri- ca. Boreas, Vol. 28, pp. 375–385. Oslo. ISSN 0300-9483. The dire wolf was an important large, late Pleistocene predator in North and South America, well adapted to preying on megaherbivores. Geographically widespread, Canis dirus is reported from 136 localities in North America from Alberta, Canada, southward and from three localities in South America (Muaco, Venezuela; Ta- lara, Peru; and Tarija, Bolivia). The species lived in a variety of environments, from forested mountains to open grasslands and plains ranging in elevation from sea level to 2255 m (7400 feet). Canis dirus is assigned to the Rancholabrean land mammal age of North America and the Lujanian land mammal age of South Amer- ica and was among the many large carnivores and megaherbivores that became extinct in North and South America near the end of the Pleistocene Epoch. Robert G. Dundas, Department of Geology, California State University, Fresno, California 93740-8031, USA. E-mail: [email protected]; received 20th May 1998, accepted 23rd March 1999 Because of the large number of Canis dirus localities Rancho La Brea, comparing them with Canis lupus and and individuals recovered from the fossil record, the dire wolf specimens from other localities. Although dire wolf is the most commonly occurring large knowledge of the animal’s biology had greatly predator in the Pleistocene of North America. By increased by 1912, little was known about its strati- contrast, the species is rare in South America.
    [Show full text]
  • Large Pleistocene Felines of North America by George Gaylord Simpson
    AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES Published by Number 1136 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY August 11, 1941 New York City LARGE PLEISTOCENE FELINES OF NORTH AMERICA BY GEORGE GAYLORD SIMPSON About thirty occurrences of true cats, ends can be gathered, but on present evi- felines, of the size of pumas or larger have dence it seems possible to establish the been reported in the Pleistocene of North following conclusions: America. Except for the specimens from 1.-Known large Pleistocene felines from the asphalt of Rancho La Brea and of Mc- North America suffice to demonstrate the pres- Kittrick, in California, these are neverthe- ence of three, and only three, groups: pumas, less relatively rare fossils and the specimens jaguars, and P. atrox. 2.-Although scattered from the Atlantic to are usually fragmentary. They have been the Pacific Coasts, the Pleistocene pumas do assigned by various students to about not, in the known parts, show much if any more fifteen different species and their affinities variation than do recent pumas of one subspecies and taxonomy have not been understood. and of more limited geographic distribution. They average a little larger than recent pumas Many have been placed in extinct, or sup- and show minor morphologic distinction of not posedly extinct, species with no definite more than specific value and possibly less. idea as to their relationships to other cats. The definitions of the several supposedly dis- A few have been recognized as pumas, or as tinct groups are not yet satisfactory. 3.-True jaguars specifically inseparable from related to pumas, but on the other hand Panthera onca, the living species, occur widely.
    [Show full text]
  • Megafauna in the Earth System
    Ecography 39: 99–108, 2016 doi: 10.1111/ecog.02156 © 2015 The Authors. Ecography © 2015 Nordic Society Oikos Megafauna in the Earth system Felisa A. Smith, Christopher E. Doughty, Yadvinder Malhi, Jens-Christian Svenning and John Terborgh F. A. Smith ([email protected]), Dept of Biology, Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. – C. E. Doughty and Y. Malhi, Environmental Change Inst., School of Geography and the Environment, Univ. of Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK. – J.-C. Svenning, Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Dept of Bioscience, Aarhus Univ., DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. – J. Terborgh, Center for Tropical Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke Univ., Durham, NC 27708, USA. Understanding the complex role of large-bodied mammals in contemporary ecosystems and the likely consequences of their continued decline is essential for effective management of the remaining wild areas on Earth. The very largest animals are in particular peril owing to a disastrous combination of continued hunting or poaching, habitat alterations, and loss of habitat. Because these threats are ongoing, conservation biologists may not be able to wait for the results of long-term studies before proposing potential mitigation strategies. A recent conference on ‘Megafauna and ecosystem function: from the Pleistocene to the Anthropocene’ at Oxford Univ. brought together paleontologists, conservation and environmental scientists and others who share an interest in characterizing the influence of large animals on ecosystems. Integrating his- torical perspectives of Late Pleistocene ecosystems when large-bodied animals were still widespread, with modern studies of areas with varying levels of intact megafauna, the aim was to develop a more holistic understanding of the consequences of the ongoing decline of large-bodied animals around the Earth.
    [Show full text]
  • The Brazilian Megamastofauna of the Pleistocene/Holocene Transition and Its Relationship with the Early Human Settlement of the Continent
    Earth-Science Reviews 118 (2013) 1–10 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Earth-Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/earscirev The Brazilian megamastofauna of the Pleistocene/Holocene transition and its relationship with the early human settlement of the continent Alex Hubbe a,b,⁎, Mark Hubbe c,d, Walter A. Neves a a Laboratório de Estudos Evolutivos Humanos, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão 277, São Paulo, SP. 05508-090, Brazil b Instituto do Carste, Rua Barcelona 240/302, Belo Horizonte, MG. 30360-260, Brazil c Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, 174W 18th Avenue, Columbus, OH. 43210, United States d Instituto de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Museo, Universidad Católica del Norte, Calle Gustavo LePaige 380, San Pedro de Atacama, 141-0000, Chile article info abstract Article history: One of the most intriguing questions regarding the Brazilian Late Quaternary extinct megafauna and Homo Received 4 October 2012 sapiens is to what extent they coexisted and how humans could have contributed to the former's extinction. Accepted 18 January 2013 The aim of this article is to review the chronological and archaeological evidences of their coexistence in Available online 25 January 2013 Brazil and to evaluate the degree of direct interaction between them. Critical assessment of the Brazilian megafauna chronological data shows that several of the late Pleistoscene/early Holocene dates available so Keywords: far cannot be considered reliable, but the few that do suggest that at least two species (Catonyx cuvieri, Quaternary Mammals ground sloth; Smilodon populator, saber-toothed cat) survived until the beginning of the Holocene in Southeast Extinction Brazil.
    [Show full text]
  • Parallels Between Playbacks and Pleistocene Tar Seeps Suggest
    Biol. Lett. (2009) 5, 81–85 Pleistocene tar seep deposits of Rancho La Brea, doi:10.1098/rsbl.2008.0526 California (44 000–9000 YBP; Stock & Harris 1992), Published online 28 October 2008 where high ratios of Smilodon and the presumably social Palaeontology dire wolf (Canis dirus) relative to prey species suggest that both hunted in groups. Here we present additional evidence supporting Parallels between sociality in Smilodon using a comparison between play- back experiments carried out in eastern and southern playbacks and Pleistocene Africa to estimate carnivore abundance (Mills et al. 2001) and the fossil record from Rancho La Brea tar seeps suggest sociality (Marcus 1960; Stock & Harris 1992; Spencer et al. 2003). Both playbacks (Cooper 1991; Fanshawe & in an extinct sabretooth Fitzgibbon 1993) and the tar seeps represent highly competitive scenarios, in that a dying or dead animal cat, Smilodon drew in multiple predators, that then potentially com- Chris Carbone1, Tom Maddox1, Paul J. Funston2, peted for food. In the playbacks, sounds of dying Michael G. L. Mills3, Gregory F. Grether4 herbivores combined with the sounds of lions (Panthera and Blaire Van Valkenburgh4,* leo) and hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) were used to attract carnivores for population estimation (Mills et al.2001). 1Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4RY, UK 2Department of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University of At La Brea, carnivores appear to have been similarly Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria 0001, Republic of South Africa lured by dying herbivores and trapped in sticky asphalt. 3The Tony and Lisette Lewis Foundation and Mammal Research The tar pit deposits represent an accumulation of these Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, Republic of South Africa events.
    [Show full text]
  • Smilodon Fatalis from Rancho La Brea
    Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 206 (2004) 303–310 www.elsevier.com/locate/palaeo Isotopic evidence of saber-tooth development, growth rate, and diet from the adult canine of Smilodon fatalis from Rancho La Brea Robert S. Feranec* Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, 3060 Valley Life Sciences, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Received 15 February 2002; accepted 15 September 2003 Abstract The large size of canines in saber-toothed cats suggests implicitly that they took longer to grow than ‘‘normal’’ canines. If this were the case, then juveniles may not have been able to use them for hunting. Consequently, juvenile Smilodon fatalis, for example, may have had to remain in a social group and be fed by adults longer than is the case for modern large cats. Analysis of the stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios within the enamel of the sabertooth provides a reasonably direct method to determine development and growth. Variation in the oxygen isotope ratios during the ontogeny of a particular tooth has been reported in many animals, and has been shown to correlate with temperature variation related to seasonality. Variation in the carbon isotope ratios typically reflects differences in diet, and can be used to determine if a carnivore preferred a prey that ate predominantly C3 or C4 plants. This study analyzed stable carbon and oxygen (d13C, d18O) isotope ratios from sequential, closely spaced samples of enamel carbonate obtained from upper canines of S. fatalis. A sequential change in d18O through canine ontogeny for two specimens (which averaged approximately À 4x) is consistent with nearly 1 year being sampled.
    [Show full text]
  • Home Range, Habitat Use, and Food Habits of the Black Bear in South-Central Florida
    University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Master's Theses Graduate School 2008 HOME RANGE, HABITAT USE, AND FOOD HABITS OF THE BLACK BEAR IN SOUTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA Wade Allen Ulrey University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Ulrey, Wade Allen, "HOME RANGE, HABITAT USE, AND FOOD HABITS OF THE BLACK BEAR IN SOUTH- CENTRAL FLORIDA" (2008). University of Kentucky Master's Theses. 524. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_theses/524 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF THESIS HOME RANGE, HABITAT USE, AND FOOD HABITS OF THE BLACK BEAR IN SOUTH-CENTRAL FLORIDA I studied a small, enigmatic, and imperiled black bear population in south-central Florida from 2004 - 2006. Annual home ranges of males (96.0 km2) were larger than those of females (32.2 km2). Female home ranges were smaller in winter than in summer or fall. At the landscape scale, bears selected forests, scrub, and citrus, but avoided urban areas. At the home range scale, bears selected bay swamp and hardwood hammock, but avoided urban areas and grassland. Bears selected bay swamp in winter, forests and scrub in summer, and forests, scrub, and marsh in fall. The bear’s diverse diet included citrus fruit. Important foods were acorn, saw palmetto fruit, and Florida carpenter ant.
    [Show full text]
  • Late Quaternary Megafaunal Extinctions in Southern Patagonia and Their Relation to Environmental Changes and Human Impacts Natalia A
    58 SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS: CLIMATE CHANGE AND CULTURAL EVOLUTION doi: 10.22498/pages.24.2.58 Late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions in southern Patagonia and their relation to environmental changes and human impacts Natalia A. Villavicencio The chronology of megafaunal extinctions in southern Patagonia suggest that they are due to a combination of human impacts, and vegetation and climate changes. Most extinct megafauna coexisted with humans for a relatively long time, and died out at different times. by the end of the Pleistocene, the world lost the area. Particularly, intense work in the cerro the Villavicencio et al. (2016) dataset of 62 most of its large mammal species in what is benítez and Lago Sofía area has produced high-quality radiocarbon dates. In the com- known as the Late Quaternary extinction event dozens of radiocarbon dates on extinct fauna bined dataset, best estimates of local extinc- (LQE; Martin and Klein 1984), the magnitude and helped establish one of the most com- tion times were obtained using the Gaussian- and timing of which differs among continents plete chronologies of megafaunal extinction resampled, inverse-weighted method (GrIWM) (Koch and barnosky 2006). For more than five available from South America. Villavicencio et of McInerny et al. (described in bradshaw et al. decades, the discussion about the possible al. (2016) reviewed radiocarbon chronologies 2012). causes of extinction has revolved around the of megafaunal extinction and of human occu- human impacts caused by modern humans pation from Última Esperanza, and the timing When the new dates are added, the general moving out of Africa, climate changes associ- of major changes in climate and vegetation.
    [Show full text]