October 2004
The Saber-toothed Cat
Order
Family
Genus and Species
Carnivora
Machairodontidae
Smilodon fatalis
The saber-toothed cat, distinguished by two large canine teeth which often
reached a
length of over 8 inches, lived in the
last ice age which took place in the Pleistocene era
dating from 1.5 million years ago to around
9 thousand years ago. These cats were
the
primary predators of that era and used their unique canines to pierce the
soft tissue of
their prey's soft underbelly area.
Although having only fossils upon which to base theories as to how and
where the
saber-toothed cat lived, several pertinent facts can be gleaned from observing
such
skeletal remains. Numerous skeletons of saber-tooths have been found
with one or both
of their large canine teeth broken off or splintered. This suggests
that even though these
teeth came in very handy for killing prey, they
were brittle and easily damaged..especially
when accidentally striking bone. Jamming these canines between the
ribs of their prey and
jerking back to rip open stomach cavities accounted for a large number of
broken teeth.
As the above image shows, large carnivorous birds
( the distant relatives of our present
day vultures) followed saber-tooths around, waiting
for the cats to eat their fill so they could
swoop down and pick at the remains. These carrion feeders were twice as big as their present
day ancestors and rarely tried to attack a living animal..........preferring
to wait for some other
animal ( such as the saber-tooth,) to do their work for them.
These cats were about 2/3rds the size of our present
day Bengal tiger and had a skull which
measured about 1 foot from the tip of the nose to just
behind the ears. Other information about
the saber-tooth is not available but it is known that this species roamed over
North and South
America. It is believed that the cat originated
in North America and as the ice age advanced
and became more severe, the saber-tooth migrated south towards warmer weather
and more
ample prey.
Above is a fossilized skull of a saber-toothed cat.
This cat could open it's jaws to an angle of
over 120 degrees and easily sink it's long fang-like
canines into it's prey. The pattern of injuries
which these cats sustained, deduced from careful study of skeletal remains,
offers a fairly accurate
account of their everyday activity. Thickened
spots on bones along the front and back legs where
the cat would leap and swat down their prey indicates
that the cats would leap onto some type
animal.... maybe a young wooly mammoth, slamming it's
chest into the mammoth and knocking it
down. This action compacted the bones
along the neck and spine, eventually causing these bones
to fuse together. The cat would then swat at the fallen prey, not allowing
it to get up....then with
it's powerful forelegs the powerful predator would pull
the victim over onto it's back and then drive
the sharp, serrated, 8 inch canines deep into the soft
belly of the downed animal.
Many times the cat's prey would not be so easily
vanquished and would kick, toss, or step on
these cats causing broken bones and sometimes death. Calcium buildup
would form over fractures
in the bones, strengthening them but often causing a misshapen limb.
These injuries and indications
of what kind of life a particular cat led is made evident
by the careful examination of their well
preserved skeletons.
As saber-toothed cats became older or if they were
injured, they would often stalk prey which was
weak, sick or dying. The wails of other
animals would draw saber-tooths from long distances away.
Often these animals were stuck in tar pits caused
by a seeping of thick oil-like substances from
beneath the earth. This tar substance originated
from decaying plant material and from the decayed
remains of millions of dinosaurs and other animals
which came long before the saber-tooth.
These tar pits, located in La Brea, within Los Angeles....trapped
many animals which drew large
numbers of predators, including saber-tooths. As these predators tried
to pull animals from the tar
pits.....they themselves were trapped and perished in the gooey, thick liquid.
Many excellent and
complete skeletons of animals which lived during the
Pleistocene era have been excavated from these
tar pits. The remains are mostly intact,
although the tar has stained the bones a dark brownish color.
These cats must have led a hard life.....fraught
with danger and a struggle to survive but they are a
most fascinating subject to research. They are one more creature who
once ruled their world but
are now extinct and although some facts about
their existence are known......many others must be
theorized and speculated upon by using physical evidence
gathered by various means.
Press play below, to hear Sabertoothed Cat sounds.