Smilodon Fossil range: Late Pliocene to Late Pleistocene
Painting of a Smilodon. The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Subfamily: †Machairodontinae Genus: †Smilodon Lund, 1842
Species
†Smilodon fatalis †Smilodon gracilis †Smilodon populator

Smilodon (pronounced /ˈsmаɪləˌdɒn/), sometimes called saber-toothed tiger is an extinct genus of large machairodontine saber-toothed cats that lived between approximately 2. The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The diverse order Carnivora (kɑrˈnɪvərə or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/ from Latin carō (stem carn-) "flesh" + vorāre Felidae is the biological family of the cats a member of this family is called a felid. The Machairodontinae form a subfamily of the Felidae (true cats Peter Wilhelm Lund ( June 14, 1801 &ndash May 25, 1880) was a Danish Zoologist and Paleontologist who spent In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic The Machairodontinae form a subfamily of the Felidae (true cats The terms saber-toothed cat, sabertooth, and saber-toothed tiger describe numerous species mainly in the families Felidae (subfamily Machairodontinae 5 million to 10,000 years ago in North and South America. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a They are called "saber-toothed" for the extreme length of their maxillary canines. The maxillary canine is the Tooth located laterally (away from the midline of the Face) from both Maxillary lateral incisors of the Mouth The La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles trapped hundreds of Smilodon in the tar, possibly as they tried to feed on mammoths already trapped. La Brea Tar Pits (or Rancho La Brea Tar Pits) are a famous cluster of Tar pits located in Hancock Park in the urban heart of Los Angeles, The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has many of their complete skeletons. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County opened in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, USA in 1913 as the Museum of History Science Despite the colloquial name of "saber-toothed tiger", Smilodon is not closely related to a tiger, which belongs to another subfamily, the Pantherinae, but is a member of the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus Pantherinae is the subfamily of the family Felidae which includes the genera Panthera, Uncia and Neofelis The Machairodontinae form a subfamily of the Felidae (true cats The name Smilodon is a bahuvrihi from Greek: σμίλη, smilē, "chisel" and Greek ὀδoύς, ὀδόντος, odoús, Genitive: odóntos, "tooth"). A bahuvrīhí (बहुव्रीहि or bahuvrihi compound (also exocentric compound) is a type of nominal compound that refers to something that Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly A chisel is a Tool with a characteristically shaped Cutting edge (such that wood chisels have lent part of their name to a particular grind) of blade on Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly In Grammar, the genitive case or possessive case (also called the second case) is the case that marks a Noun as modifying another It was among the largest felids, the heaviest specimens of this massively built carnivore may have reached a body mass of up to 400 kg ^[1].

Classification and species

The genus Smilodon was described by the Danish naturalist and palaeontologist Peter Wilhelm Lund in 1841. A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Natural history is the Scientific research of Plants or Animals leaning more towards the Observational than Experimental methods Palaeontology redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Palaeontology (journal. Peter Wilhelm Lund ( June 14, 1801 &ndash May 25, 1880) was a Danish Zoologist and Paleontologist who spent For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link He found the fossils of Smilodon populator in caves near the small town of Lagoa Santa, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. For Lagoa Santa a municipality in Goiás see Lagoa Santa Goiás Lagoa Santa is a municipality and region in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, the second most populous and fourth largest by area in the federation |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld

Several Smilodon species have been described, but today usually only three species are distinguished^[2].

• Smilodon gracilis, 2. 5 million-500,000 years ago; the smallest and earliest species with an estimated body mass of only 55-100 kg ^[1] was probably the successor of Megantereon. Megantereon was an ancient machairodontine Saber-toothed cat that may be the ancestor of Smilodon. The other Smilodon species probably derived from this species.

Smilodon californicus fossil at the
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC. The National Museum of Natural History is a Natural history Museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D

• Smilodon fatalis, 1. 6 million-10,000 years ago, replaced Smilodon gracilis in North America and Western South America. In size it was between Smilodon gracilis and Smilodon populator. The estimated body mass for this species ranges from 160 to 220 kg ^[1]. Sometimes two additional species are recognized, Smilodon californicus and Smilodon floridus, but usually they are considered to be subspecies of Smilodon fatalis.
• Smilodon populator, 1 million-10,000 years ago; occurred in the eastern parts of South America and was the largest species of all Machairodonts. With an estimated weight of 200 to 300 kg and exceptional large specimens probably up to 400 kg, it was among the heaviest felids to have ever existed ^[1]. Its upper canines reached 28cm and protruded up to 17 cm out of the upper jaw.

Anatomy

A smilodon shown to scale to demonstrate the compact muscular build.

A fully-grown Smilodon weighed approximately 55-300 kilograms, depending on species. It had a short tail, powerful legs, muscular neck and long canines. Slightly smaller than a tiger, Smilodon was extremely powerful and was quite bear-like in build. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus

Teeth and jaws

Smilodon skull replica from Warsaw Evolution Museum.

Smilodon is most famous for its relatively long canines. "Cuspid" redirects here For the heart valves see Bicuspid valve and Tricuspid valve. They are the longest canines of the saber-toothed cats at about 17 cm (7 inches) long in the largest species Smilodon populator. They were probably built more for stabbing than slashing. Despite being more powerfully built than other large cats Smilodon actually had a weaker bite. Modern big cats have more pronounced zygomatic arches, while Smilodon had smaller zygomatic arches which restricted the thickness and therefore power of the temporalis muscles, and thus reduced Smilodon’s bite force. The zygomatic arch is formed by the Zygomatic process of temporal bone (a bone extending forward from the side of the Skull, over the opening of the ear and the temporal The temporalis muscle is one of the muscles of mastication. Structure It arises from the Temporal fossa and the deep part of Temporal fascia Analysis of its narrow jaws indicates that it could produce a bite only a third as strong of that of a lion. ^[3] There seems to a be a general rule that the saber-toothed cats with the largest canines had proportionally weaker bites. However, analyses of canine bending strength (the ability of the canine teeth to resist bending forces without breaking) and bite forces indicate that saber-toothed cats' teeth were stronger relative to the bite force than those of modern "big cats". ^[4] In addition, Smilodon could open its jaws 120 degrees, whereas the lion can only open its jaws to 65 degrees. This article describes the unit of angle For other meanings see Degree.

Limbs

Smilodon had relatively shorter and more massive limbs than other felines. It had well developed flexors and extensors in its forepaws, which enabled it to pull down large prey. In Anatomy, flexion is a position that is made possible by the joint angle decreasing Extension is a movement of a joint that results in increased angle between two bones or body surfaces at a joint The back limbs had powerfully built adductor muscles which might have helped the cat's stability when wrestling with prey. Like most cats, its claws were retractable.

Ecology

Social behaviour

The social pattern of this cat is unknown. Some fossils show healed injuries or diseases that would have crippled the animal. Some palaeontologists see this as evidence that saber-toothed cats were social animals, living and hunting in packs that provided food for old and sick members. Living in groups would also help with having to compete with lions and wolves. The American lion (Panthera leo atrox also known as the North American lion, American Cave lion,or Panthera is an Extinct The Dire Wolf ( Canis dirus) is an extinct carnivorous Mammal of the genus Canis, and was most common in North The canine teeth and body size of Smilodon were about the same in both male and female cats. This indicates that Smilodon may not have lived in male-dominated groups (and that the teeth may not have been used for attracting mates as it has been suggested). However, it still could have hunted cooperatively.

Diet and hunting

Smilodon attacking a giant sloth, in the La Brea Tar Pits Museum. Ground sloths are a diverse group of Extinct Sloths Mammals in the edentate Superorder Xenarthra. La Brea Tar Pits (or Rancho La Brea Tar Pits) are a famous cluster of Tar pits located in Hancock Park in the urban heart of Los Angeles,

Smilodon probably preyed on a wide variety of game including: bison, elk, deer, American camels, horses, ground sloths and the young of mammoths (Jeffersonian mammoth, imperial mammoth, Columbian mammoth, Woolly mammoth), and mastodons. This is an article about an animal For other uses see Bison (disambiguation. The elk, or wapiti ( Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest Species of Deer in the world and one of the largest Mammals in A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. Camels are Even-toed ungulates within the Genus Camelus. The Dromedary, one-humped or Arabian camel has a single hump and the Ground sloths are a diverse group of Extinct Sloths Mammals in the edentate Superorder Xenarthra. The Jeffersonian Mammoth ( Mammuthus jeffersonii) is a North American species of Mammoth. The Imperial Mammoth ( Mammuthus imperator) was the largest known species of North American Mammoth, reaching a height of 4 The Columbian Mammoth ( Mammuthus columbi) is an extinct species of Elephant that appeared in North America (the present United States to as far south The woolly mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius) also called the tundra mammoth, is an extinct species of Mammoth. Mastodons or Mastodonts (from Greek μαστός and οδούς, meaning " Nipple tooth" are members of the extinct

Modern big cats kill mainly by strangling their victims, which may take a few minutes. Smilodon’s jaw muscles were probably too weak for this and its long canines would have been vulnerable to snapping in a prolonged struggle. Research in 2007 concluded that that Smilodon more probably used its great upper-body strength to wrestle prey to the ground, where its long canines could deliver a deep stabbing bite to the throat which would generally cut through the jugular vein and / or the trachea and thus kill the prey very quickly. The jugular veins are Veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the Head back to the heart via the Superior vena cava. The traceartes, or windpipe, is a tube that has an inner diameter of about 20-25 mm and a length of about 10-16 cm in humans ^[5] The leaders of this study also commented to scientific journalists that this technique may have made Smilodon a more efficient killer of large prey than modern lions or tigers, but also made it more dependent on the supply of large animals. This highly-specialized hunting style may have contributed to its extinction, as Smilodon’s cumbersome build and over-sized canines would have made it less efficient at killing smaller, faster prey if the ecosystem changed for any reason. An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( ^[3]

Extinction

Smilodon became extinct around 10,000 BC Some have suggested that humans could have indirectly contributed to its extinction, either by hunting the cats' main prey or by infecting the population with a virus. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus A virus (from the Latin virus meaning Toxin or Poison) is a sub-microscopic infectious agent that is unable

Others have suggested that the end of the ice age caused the extinction. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets As the ice age ended there would have been shrinking environments and changing vegetation patterns. Extensive grasslands, with different types of grasses, and isolated forests replaced healthy mixes of forests and grasslands^[sic] . Grasslands (also called greenswards) are areas where the Vegetation is dominated by Grasses ( Poaceae) and other Herbaceous (non-woody Sic is a Latin word meaning "thus" "so" "as such" or "just as that" The summer and winter both became more extreme and North America began to dry out or begin to be covered in snow, thus denying food sources for mammoths and in turn Smilodon. However, this theory does not explain how Smilodon and its ancestors successfully survived many previous interglacials. An interglacial is a geological interval of warmer global average temperature that separates Glacial periods within an Ice age.

Popular Culture

Smilodon statue outside Museo de La Plata, Argentina.

Smilodon appears in various kinds in popular culture. Several Smilodon appear in the animated film Ice Age, most notably Diego (Denis Leary), one of the main characters, who also appears in the sequel, Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Ice Age is a feature-length computer-animated Film created by Blue Sky Studios and released by 20th Century Fox in 2002 Denis Colin Leary (born August 18, 1957) is a Golden Globe - and Emmy Award -nominated American Actor, Comedian Ice Age The Meltdown, also known as Ice Age 2 The Meltdown or simply as Ice Age 2, is the 2006 film sequel to the In the 1977 movie Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, the climax takes place in the citadel of a giant Smilodon. Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger is a 1977 Fantasy film, the final installment of Ray Harryhausen 's "Sinbad trilogy" (the others The creature is brought to life by Ray Harryhausen's stop motion effects. Ray Harryhausen (born Raymond Frederick Harryhausen on June 29, 1920 in Los Angeles California) is an Academy Award -winning Stop motion (or frame-by-frame) animation is an Animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own The movie Sabretooth featured a Smilodon that was brought back to life from fossilized DNA. Sabretooth is a 2002 Film directed by James DR Hickox. It premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel on November 16, 2002

Smilodon has appeared also as one of the main creatures of Impossible Pictures films Walking With Beasts and Prehistoric Park (fourth episode). Impossible Pictures Ltd is a UK-based independent TV production company founded in 2002 by Tim Haines and Jasper James, creators of Walking with Walking with Beasts is a 2001 six-part Television documentary produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom, narrated by Kenneth Prehistoric Park is a 6-episode Mini-series in documentary style from Impossible Pictures Limited, (the creators Strangely, the former depicts Smilodon as living and hunting in groups like lions, but the latter depicts them hunting Toxodon alone.

Smilodon was also featured in the hit ITVseries Primeval, seen in episode 9. Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Primeval is a British Science fiction Television programme produced for ITV by Impossible Pictures. A woman named Valerie finds a young smilodon cub in her garage after it stumbled into an anomaly (portal in time) she raised it from a young age, keeping it hidden from the outside world in her house in the forest. Anomalies are Fictional Phenomena which occur in the science fiction television series Primeval and are a type of Time However, once the creature grew to a significant size, it escaped and attacked visitors at a nearby amusement park. Although Valerie treated it like her own special companion, after she ordered it to attack Nick Cutter, it turned on her and mauled her to death.

The sabertoothed cat that appears in the 2008 movie 10,000 BC has been incorrectly said to be a Smilodon. In fact, it is a fictional cat designed specially for the movie, larger and more tiger-like than Smilodon.

Grune The Destroyer, the ghost warrior, from the highly popular classic animated series Thundercats is a anthropomorphic Sabre-toothed tiger, villain and former Thundercat who once fought the Thundercats after escaping his tomb inside a giant tree on 3rd Earth. ThunderCats is an American Animated television series that was developed and produced by Rankin/Bass Productions debuting in 1985 Anthropomorphism is the attribution of uniquely Human characteristics to non-human creatures and beings natural and supernatural phenomena material states and objects Once battled Jaga the previous Lord Of The Thundercats in a titanic battle lasting for days. wields a 'spiked' battle club/mace as his choice of weapon.

A new monster named "Smilodon" was added in the MMORPG Final Fantasy XI expansion Wings of the Goddess. A massively multiplayer online role-playing game ( MMORPG) is a genre of Computer role-playing games (CRPGs in which a large number of players interact with also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG developed and published by Square (later Square It is a member of the Tiger family, all of which more closely resemble saber-toothed cats than modern-day tigers. ^[6]

Jeff Rovin's novel Fatalis is based around a family of sabre-toothed cats coming into a conflict with humans in modern-day Southern California. Jeff Rovin is an Author of many How to Play video game books which were popular in the 1980s and 1990s California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean.

References

External links

• Schneider, Jens, Killing behavior in Smilodon fatalis (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) based on functional anatomy and body proportions of the front- and hind limbs Diploma thesis in german language
• Sabre-toothed cats
• Smildon article at bluelion.org
• Western Center for Archaeology and Paleontology Hemet, CA