Saber-toothed cat

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Image:Saber-toothcat.jpg
The fossilized skeleton of a saber-toothed cat (Smilodon californicus).
The terms saber-toothed cat, sabertooth, and saber-toothed tiger describe numerous species, mainly in the families Felidae (subfamily Machairodontinae), Hyaenodontidae, and Nimravidae, but also including two marsupial families, that lived during various parts of the Cenozoic and evolved their saber-toothed characteristics entirely independently. They are most known for having maxillary canines which were in some species up to 20 cm long, and extended down from the mouth even when closed. Saber-tooth cats were generally more robust than today's cats and were quite bear-like in build.

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[edit] Saber-tooth genera

The first saber-toothed cats appeared sometime during the Mid-Eocene, and the last genera died out thousands of years ago. The genera of saber-toothed cats, along with the regions and time periods where they have been found, is summarized here.


Genus Name Number of Species Times Regions
Smilodon 6 2.5 MYA to 8,000 YA North and South America
Hoplophoneus 5 33.7 MYA to 23.8 MYA North and South America
Eusmilis 3 30.5 MYA to 28 MYA Europe, North America, South America
Dinictis 4 40 MYA to 25 MYA North America
Dinaelurus 1 ? North America
Dinailurictis 1 ? ?
Eofelis 1 ? ?
Nimravidus (Nimravides) 2 ? ?
Nimravus (Nimravinus) 6 33.5 MYA to 20 MYA Europe and North America
Nimraviscus 1 ? ?
Pogonodon 2 15 MYA to 6 MYA Europe and North America
Quercylurus 1 ? ?
Archaelurus 1 ? ?
Aelurogale (Ailurictis) 1 ? ?
Ictidailurus 1 ? ?
Albanosmilus 3 18 MYA to 3 MYA Africa and Eurasia
Afrosmilus 1 25 MYA to 10 MYA Africa
Barbourofelis 7 15 MYA to 3 MYA Africa and Eurasia
Ginsburgsmilus 1 23 MYA to 10 MYA Africa
Prosansanosmilus 2 18 MYA to 5 MYA Africa and Eurasia
Sansanosmilus 3 12 MYA to 3 MYA Africa and Eurasia
Syrtosmilus 1 23 MYA to 8 MYA Africa
Vampyrictis 1 15 MYA to 3 MYA Africa and Eurasia
Vishnusmilus 1 ? ?
Homotherium 10 3 MYA to 10,000 YA Europe and Asia
Thylacosmilus (marsupial) 2 10 MYA to 1.8 MYA South America
Metailurus 9 15 MYA to 8 MYA Eurasia
Adelphailurus 1 23 MYA to 5 MYA Kansas (North America)
Paramachairodus 3 20-15 MYA to 9 MYA Europe
Machairodus (Ancestral to Homotherium) 18 15 MYA to 2 MYA Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America
Megantereon 8 3 MYA to 9,000 YA Africa, Eurasia, and North America
Dinofelis 6 5 MYA to 1.5 MYA Africa, Eurasia, North America
Therailurus 1 5 MYA to 2 MYA Africa, Eurasia, North America
Pontosmilus 4 20 MYA to 9 MYA Eurasia
Xenosmilus (1 specimen) 1 1.7 MYA to 1 MYA Central Florida (North America)
Stenailurus 1 (?) (?)
Dinobastis 1 (?) Asia
Epimachairodus 1 (?) (?)
Miomachairodus 1 (?) (?)
Hemimachairodus 1 (?) (?)
Ischyrosmilus 1 (?) (?)

[edit] Saber-tooth evolutionary tree

Image:Fightsabertoothtiger.jpg
A statue of two saber-tooth cats fighting
Image:La Brea Saber-tooth Model.jpg
Saber-Tooth model display in the La Brea Tar Pits Museum.

All saber-tooth mammals lived between 33.7 million and 9,000 years ago, but the evolutionary lines that lead to the various saber-tooth genera started to diverge much earlier.

The lineage that led to Thylacosmilus was the first to split off, in the late Cretaceous. It is a marsupial, and thus more closely related to kangaroos and opossums than the felines. The creodonts diverged next, and then the nimravids, before the blossoming of the truly feline saber-tooths.

[edit] External links

es:Dientes de sable fr:Tigre à dents de sabre nl:Sabeltandkat no:Sabeltanntigre fi:Sapelihammaskissat

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