The Primordial Home Page

A Dream of the Stone Age

Somewhere in the dark recesses ofour genetic memory, these powerful animals still prowl. Our ancestors were often the prey of these creatures, yet today we have a fascination with sabertooths and cave lions.

The following pages are a menagerie of extinct paleofelids, sabertooth cats, cave lions, nimravids, and even marsupial "cats". We hope you enjoy your visit and please don't feed the Primordials! You see, most of them have a taste for hominids...

Smilodon fatalis model by Paleocraft

Smilodons - The Best Known Sabertooths

     We've all seen smilodons in our childhood from Baby Puss on The Flintstones to Diego from Ice Age. The real thing, however, was a lot less cuddly!
     The current Smilodon species are: Smilodon fatalis, Smilodon gracilis (the smallest), and Smilodon populator (the largest). The similar sounding Xenosmilus hodsonae are a different genus.
     Smilodon is most famous for its relatively long canines or saber teeth. They are the longest canines of the saber-toothed cats at about 7" long in the largest species Smilodon populator. The teeth were precision killing tools for these predators.

     Despite being more powerfully built than other large cats Smilodon actually had a weaker bite than most modern big cats. Analysis of its narrow jaws indicates that it could produce a bite only 1/3 as strong of that of a lion.The bigger the teeth, the weaker the bite. 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". In addition, Smilodon could open its jaws 120 degrees, whereas the lion can only open its jaws to 65 degrees. To see that mouth wide open would have been terrifying!
     A fully-grown Smilodon weighed approximately 121-661 lbs, depending on species. It had a short tail, powerful legs, and a densely muscled physique.

     Slightly smaller than a tiger, Smilodon was extremely powerful and was quite bear-like in build. Smilodon had relatively shorter and more massive limbs than other felines. In its forepaws, it had well developed flexors and extensors, which enabled Smilodon to pull down large prey. The back limbs had powerfully built abductor muscles which might have helped the cat's stability when wrestling with prey. Like most cats, its claws were retractable.
     In 2007, research concluded that that Smilodon more probably used its great upper-body strength to wrestle prey to the ground. There its long canines could deliver a deep stabbing bite to the throat which would generally cut through the jugular vein and/or the trachea, killing the prey very quickly. 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.
     How Smilodon lived socially is still 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 competing with lions and wolves. 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).

     Smilodon probably preyed on a wide variety of game including: bison, elk, deer, American camels, horses, ground sloths, mammoths, and mastodons.

     It was originally thought that Smilodon became extinct around 11,000 years ago in course of the Quaternary extinction event, which saw the extinction of much of the megafauna. However, a species only gets an extinction date based on the latest fossil find. Smilodon fatalis fossils discovered in Nashville, Tennesee now place their extinction at about 9,500 years ago.

Regions Center Smilodon Display

NASHVILLE PREDATOR

     In May 1991, while excavating a site to build a financial center, workers discovered a prehistoric cave system. The mud-filled cave was about 30 feet below the surface. Inside the cave was the fossilized foreleg bone and 9" fang of Smilodon fatalis. Previously, all carbon dating of smilodon remains suggested that the breed died out 11,000 years ago. Carbon dating of the Nashville fossils indicate that the smilodon was alive 9,500 years ago, moving the date up for the species' extinction.
     Further excavation on the site yielded more than 1000 paleofaunal specimens, including three or four human burials. Unfortunately, the majority of the site have been destroyed by mechanical apparatus before it had been identified. It was only when one of the workers spotted the saber tooth in his power shovel that they realized the site had fossils.
     The smilodon wasn't the only cat with big fangs in Tennessee. The scimitar cat, Homotherium serus, also stalked the land in the days before the Grand Ole Opry.  Hopefully, some care will be taken in excavating sites in the Nashville area so that their rich prehistoric heritage won't be ground into powder!
     Today, Nashville, Tennessee celebrates its smilodon heritage. The fossils (and a replica skull) are on exhibit at Regions Center lobby. Nashville's hockey team, the Nashville Predators, have embraced the sabertooth totem. Gnash, their blue smilodon mascot, is very popular with the fans and also makes appearances throughout the year for various charities.

Alternate 3/4 view Nashville Predators logo

Saber-Tooth Sculpture in Texas

On 30 September 2007, a 1.25 life-sized bronze statue of Smilodon fatalis was unveiled at the Texas Natural Science Center in Austin, Texas. To see artist John Maisano's journey to create this awesome work of art, you have to see the museum's official slide show. There are over 50 slides, but it is such a unique presentation we can't help but recommend it!

YOUR GUIDE TO THE EPOCHS:

PALEOCENE EPOCH - 65 million years - 55 million years ago. It is the 1st epoch of the Cenozoic Era and marks the beginning of the "Age of the Mammals". Marsupials appear as well as the first creodonts. By the late Paleocene, Miacis - the ancestor of all carnivora - appears.

EOCENE EPOCH - 55 million - 33 million years ago. Rodents are the predominant small mammal. Early horse, elephants, and rhinos appear. The earliest meateaters, the creodonts, include several catlike species known as the oxyaenids. The middle Eocene gives rise to carnivores: the nimravids, but they aren't true cats yet.

OLIGOCENE EPOCH - 33 million - 23 million years ago. It is the third and final epoch of the Paleocene period. True felines (Proailurus) first appear.

MIOCENE EPOCH - begins 23 million years - 5 million years ago. It is the first epoch of the Neogene period. It is also the longest epoch of the Cenozoic Era, spanning 20 million years. The nimravids go extinct near the end of the Miocene. Pseudaelurus is the last common ancestor for felines and the machairodontinae. The marsupial Thylacosmilus appears in South America.

PLIOCENE EPOCH - 5 million years - 1.8 million years ago. It is the second and final epoch of the Neogene period. Hyaenas, thylacoleo, and early sabertoothed cats appear.

PLEISTOCENE EPOCH begins 1.8 million years ago and concludes with the end of the Ice Ages, about 10,000 years ago. In the early Pleistocene, Thylacosmilus -unable to compete with Smilodon - becomes extinct. By the late Pleistocene, the severe climate contributes to massive megafauna extinctions including the sabertoothed cats and thylacoleo.

HOLOCENE EPOCH - 10,000 years ago- modern times. The last sabertooth cats and cave lions became extinct near the beginning of this period. Most modern wild cats are dangerously close to extinction now.

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All text content and research on Sabertooth's Pride and the SP linked sites were created by Muninn of Hercules Invictus unless otherwise credited.

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(c) 2007-2009 Hercules Invictus