The Smilodon

The Smilodon or the Saber-Toothed Cat sometimes referred to as the Saber-Toothed Tiger was known to roam the area of California in North America and Argentina in South America during the late Pleistocene period nearly 11, 000 years ago. The Saber-Toothed Tiger was about the size of todays African Lions with a short tail similar to the modern Bobcat with its strong muscles, muscular shoulders and neck it would mostly feed on slow moving, large prey which it would sink its teeth into but the occasional light snack such as a opossum was not out of the question! The Saber-Toothed Tigers fang like teeth on the upper jaw were serrated like a meat cutting knife on their back edges allowing it to cut into its preys flesh but despite its fearsome appearances the Saber was a little kitty when it came to water! Paleontologists are very interested in the ice age mammals. Paleontologists feel the Saber were social animals and lived and hunted in packs. The cause of their extinction is of considerable interest, with most Paleontologists suggesting that climatic changes, human hunting, and human habitat alteration or a combination of the three were responsible.