Smilodon

Smilodon is the common name for an extinct genus of big mammalian carnivores known as sabre-toothed cats. Smilodon animal belongs to the Felidae family's Machairodontinae subfamily. Any of the extinct catlike predators belonging to either the extinct family Nimravidae or the subfamily Machairodontinae of the cat family, also known as sabre-toothed tiger or sabre-toothed lion (Felidae). Although the contemporary lion and tiger are genuine cats of the subfamily Felinae, they are commonly dubbed sabre-toothed tigers or sabre-toothed lions because of the pair of extended bladelike canine teeth in their upper jaw. 

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The sabre-tooth cat Smilodon fatalis was a fearsome predator in what is now the American West until around 10,000 years ago. More than 3,000 fossilised cats have been discovered in the caustic ooze of California's La Brea tar pits, and experts researching them have long imagined Smilodon as a lion-like predator hunting bison and horses over open grasslands.

Smilodon History

Smilodon animal is a felid genus from the extinct machairodont subfamily.

It is the most well-known sabre-toothed cat and one of the most well-known prehistoric animals. The sabre-toothed tiger was not closely related to the tiger or other contemporary cats, despite its common name. During the Pleistocene period (2.5 mya – 10,000 years ago), Smilodon roamed the Americas. The genus was described in 1842 after fossils discovered in Brazil; the generic name translates to "scalpel" or "two-edged knife" with "tooth." S. gracilis, S. fatalis, and S. populator are the three species currently identified. The two latter species are thought to be descendants of S. gracilis, which evolved from Megantereon.

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Smilodon animal had the most robust build of any existing cat, with extremely well-developed forelimbs and exceptionally long upper canine teeth.

It possessed a larger gape in its jaw than current cats, and its top canines were thin and delicate, as though it had been specialised for precise killing. The smallest species, S. gracilis, weighed 55 to 100 kg (120 to 220 lb). S. fatalis weighed between 160 and 280 kg (350 and 620 lb) and stood 100 cm tall (39 in).

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Both of these species are mostly known from North America, although they have also been linked to remnants from South America. The biggest species, S. populator from South America, weighed 220 to 436 kg (485 to 961 lb) and stood 120 cm (47 in) tall, making it one of the world's largest felids. Smilodon's coat pattern is unknown, although it has been recreated artistically with plain or speckled patterns. Smilodon hunted big herbivores like bison and camels in North America, and it was effective even when it encountered new prey species in South America.

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Smilodon is thought to have killed its prey by isolating it with its forelimbs and biting it, but how the bite was delivered is unknown. Scientists argue whether Smilodon lived in a gregarious or solitary environment; evidence from current predator behaviour and Smilodon's fossil remnants might support either perspective. Smilodon most likely lived in densely forested or bushy areas, which would have offered shelter for ambushing prey. Smilodon died extinct around 10,000 years ago, around the same period as other North and South American megafauna.

Description

Smilodon was around the size of today's large cats, but it was much more robust. It possessed a lumbar region that was shortened, a high scapula, a short tail, and wide limbs with small feet. Smilodon is most known for its unusually long canine teeth, which are the longest among sabre-toothed cats, measuring around 28 cm (11 in) in length in the biggest species, S. populator. On the front and rear sides, the canines were thin and possessed delicate serrations. The muzzle was short and wide, and the cranium was strongly proportioned.

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The zygomata (cheekbones) were deep and broadly arched, with a pronounced sagittal crest and a somewhat convex frontal area. Each side of the front of the mandible has a flange. The top incisors were big, inclined forward, and pointed. Between the mandible's incisors and molars, there existed a diastema (gap). The bottom incisors were wide, recurved, and arranged in a straight line across the mouth. The mandible's premolar tooth was present in most early specimens but disappeared later; it was only present in 6% of the La Brea collection. The question of whether Smilodon was sexually dimorphic has been debated.

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There was minimal difference between the sexes in several examinations of S. fatalis fossils. In contrast, while fossils of S. fatalis exhibit less variance in size among individuals than current Panthera, they do appear to display the same difference in several characteristics between the sexes, according to 2012 research.

Weight and Height

The smallest species, S. gracilis, weighed 55 to 100 kg (120 to 220 lb) and was roughly the size of a jaguar. It was comparable in size to Megantereon, but its teeth and skull were more advanced, resembling those of S. fatalis. The size of S. fatalis was somewhere between S. gracilis and S. populator. It weighed between 160 and 280 kg (350 to 620 lb). He had a body length of 175 cm and a shoulder height of 100 cm (39 in) (69 in). It possessed the same proportions as a lion, but was more robust and muscular, with a higher body mass. It had a head that was similar to Megantereon's, but it was more enormous and had bigger canines. With a body mass ranging from 220 to 400 kg (490 to 880 lb), with one estimate indicating up to 470 kg, S. populator was one of the biggest felids known (1,040 lb).

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A very massive S. populator skull from Uruguay, measuring 39 cm (15 in), suggests this individual weighed up to 436 kg (961 lb). It was 120 centimetres tall at the shoulder (47 in). S. populator had a more elongated and thin skull with a straighter upper profile, higher positioned nasal bones, a more vertical occiput, more massive metapodials, and somewhat longer forelimbs relative to hindlimbs than S. fatalis. S. populator has been ascribed to large footprints from Argentina (for which the ichnotaxon name Smilodonichium has been proposed) that measure 17.6 cm (6.9 in) by 19.2 cm (7.6 in).

This is bigger than the footprints of a Bengal tiger, which have been compared.

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Diet

Smilodon was an apex predator that relied primarily on big animals. Isotopes found in the bones of S. fatalis at the La Brea Tar Pits show that ruminants such as bison (Bison antiquus, which was much larger than the contemporary American bison) and camels (Camelops) were the most common prey of the cats there. Moreover, isotopes preserved in the tooth enamel of S. gracilis specimens from Florida show that this species ate Platygonus, a peccary, and Hemiauchenia, a llama-like animal. Based on a Glyptotherium skull with elliptical puncture marks consistent with the size and diameter of its canine teeth, Smilodon may have also targeted glyptodonts in rare cases.

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This was a glyptodont juvenile with an undeveloped cephalic shield (head armour). Isotopic examinations of the bones of the dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) and the American lion (Panthera atrox) indicate that they were rivals in prey. More thorough isotope research, on the other hand, suggests that Smilodon fatalis favoured forest-dwelling prey like tapirs, deer, and forest-dwelling bison over dire wolves' predilection for open-area food like grassland bison. Prey availability in the Rancho La Brea region was most likely equivalent to that of advanced East Africa.

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Behaviour

Sulcal patterns in Smilodon's brain are similar to those in modern cats, suggesting that the regions that control hearing, sight, and limb coordination were more complex.

In general, felid sabre-tooths had tiny eyes that were not as forward-facing as modern cats' eyes, which have a strong binocular vision to assist them to navigate through trees. Because its limb proportions were comparable to current forest-dwelling cats and its small tail would not have helped it balance while sprinting, Smilodon was most likely an ambush predator hidden in dense vegetation.

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Due to its larger weight and lack of climbing capabilities, Smilodon was most likely terrestrial, unlike its progenitor Megantereon, which was at least partly scansorial and therefore able to climb trees. Smilodon may have been the producer of Felipeda miramarensis tracks from Argentina in 2019. If the footprints are correctly identified, the animal had completely retractable claws, plantigrade feet, lacked significant supination skills in its paws, especially powerful forelimbs relative to the hindlimbs, and was most likely an ambush predator. Smilodon had a long heel bone, indicating that it was a strong jumper.

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Its forearms' well-developed flexor and extensor muscles probably enabled it to draw down and firmly grasp big prey. The cross-sections of S. fatalis humeri were shown to be reinforced by cortical thickening to the point where they might have borne more weight than those of existing large cats or the extinct American lion. The femur thickness of S. fatalis was typical of extant felids.

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Smilodon Bite

Smilodon had a weaker bite than other large cats, despite its larger size. The zygomatic arches of modern large cats are more prominent, but Smilodon was smaller, limiting the thickness and therefore strength of the temporalis muscles, and so reducing Smilodon's biting force. Its small jaws imply that it could only produce a bite that was a third as powerful as a lion's (the bite force quotient measured for the lion is 112). 

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The sabre-toothed cats with the largest canines had proportionally weaker bites, as per the general rule. Canine bending strength (the capacity of the canine teeth to endure bending pressures without breaking) and bite force analyses show that the teeth of sabre-toothed cats were stronger than those of current large cats when compared to the bite force.

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Furthermore, Smilodon's gape might have been about 120 degrees, whereas the current lion's gape is 65 degrees. Despite its long canines, Smilodon was able to grip big prey because the gape was broad enough.

Distribution and Habitat

Smilodon, the most recent of the sabre-toothed cats, existed during the Pleistocene era (2.5 mya–10,000 years ago). It most likely lived in a confined environment, such as a forest or thicket. The genus has been discovered throughout the Americas. S. fatalis fossils from Alberta, Canada, represent the genus's northernmost remains. From subtropical woods and savannah in the south to treeless mammoth steppes in the north, North America's environment was diverse.

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Large herbivores such as horses, bison, antelope, deer, camels, mammoths, mastodons, and ground sloths lived in southwestern North America's mosaic flora of forests, shrubs, and grasses. Other sabre-toothed cats found in North America were Homotherium and Xenosmilus, as well as big carnivores like dire wolves, short-faced bear (Sabre-toothed bear), and the American lion. Competition from such carnivores may have prevented S. fatalis in North America from reaching the proportions of S. populator in South America. The fact that S. fatalis and the American lion are comparable in size implies niche overlap and direct competition between the two species, and they appear to have eaten similar-sized prey.

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Reproduction

Because the Smilodon is extinct, no one knows how it reproduced, but it's safe to presume it reproduced like any other huge cat. The only things that are assumed about reproduction for a sabre-toothed cat are sexual reproduction and live birth.

Interesting Facts about Smilodon

• The name "sabre tooth tiger" is inaccurate because these animals are not felines.

• Grey wolves and dire wolves coexisted alongside sabre tooth tigers.

• Although it was named after the sabre-toothed tiger, smilodon was not connected to the tiger in any way.

• People used to believe the sabre-toothed tiger was a work of fiction.

• The first sabre-toothed tiger fossil was discovered in the nineteenth century.

• The smilodon was somewhat shorter but heavier than a contemporary lion.

• One kid’s cartoon is famous in America the name is sabre toothed bear.

Smilodon belongs to the Felidae family's Machairodontinae subfamily. Fossilised cats have been discovered in the caustic ooze of California's La Brea tar pits. Smilodon had the most robust build of any existing cat, with exceptionally long upper canine teeth. Smilodon was around the size of today's large cats, but it was much more robust. Scientists argue whether Smilodon lived in a gregarious or solitary environment. Evidence from current predator behaviour and fossil remnants might support either perspective. Researchers say they think the species most likely lived in densely forested or bushy areas.