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What Animal Is Related To The Saber Tooth Tiger

Sabre tooth tiger face displaying its massive teeth
A Saber molar tiger
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Lodge Carnivora
Family unit Felidae
Genus Smilodon
Species Smilodon populator
Niche Carnivorous
Length 79 – 98 in (2 – two.5m)
Weight 661 lbs ( 300 kg)
Lifespan 20 – 40 years
Social Structure Social
Conservation Status Extinct
Preferred Habitat Forests and grasslands
Average Litter Size 3
Principal Prey Species deer, bison and small woolly mammoths
Master Threats Humans

The Nuts

The saber tooth tiger is one of the about widely known species of saber toothed cats from the genus Smilodon. This extinct true cat was named for the pair of elongated teeth in its upper jaw. The saber tooth tiger was found beyond North and South America during the Pleistocene Epoch. It went extinct approximately x,000 years agone.

Unlike its proper noun suggests, these cats are not related to the modern-day tigers plant in Asia. In fact, the saber tooth tiger got its name from its large canine teeth that could grow over 7 inches in length. Its teeth were narrow, curved, and had extremely sharped edges that enabled it to slice through soft tissue. They were quite fragile, though, and may have cleaved if they had hit bone instead of flesh.

Scientists accept uncovered a number of saber tooth tiger skeletons and fossils. From this, we know that saber molar tigers were large cats that had short limbs. Scientists call back that these cats would have been similar to a modern-day African lion (Panthera Leo) in both size and color, although it is not related to lions either. They were ascendant predators that preyed upon large herbivores such every bit deer and bison. It is too thought they would have eaten the occasional small-scale woolly mammoth.

The large cats are likely to accept bred in the leap, with the female giving birth to a maximum of 3 cubs. At that place is not a lot known nearly saber tooth tiger cubs, but researchers think that they were born blind similar other cats.

They had no natural predators. It is thought that they were hunted to extinction by humans.

Sabre tooth tiger skeleton showing its large teeth
A saber tooth tiger skeleton

Interesting Insights from the Saber Molar Tiger!

The saber tooth tiger is ane of the almost well-known prehistoric animals that was named for its enormous canines. Still, these weren't the only biological adaptations that made the saber molar tiger such a successful predator. Let'due south accept a close look.

Concrete Adaptations – Head

The saber tooth tiger had several adaptations that enabled it to have such big teeth. The cats had a wide gape that enabled information technology to open its mouth to 120 degrees. This is double that of today'south lions, who can open their mouths to 60 degrees. This wide gape was necessary to let the cats to get the full use of their teeth, which could exist up to 28 cm in length.

The skull also had a modification that enabled it to accommodate the attachment of strong cervix muscles, which helped information technology to bring its caput downwardly. This suggests that it hunted past stabbing and slashing at its casualty with its teeth.

Image showing what a sabre tooth tiger could have looked like including its short bob tail
The saber molar tiger had a short bobtail.

Physical Adaptations – Limbs

The limbs of these cats were shorter and thicker than that of other felines. They also had powerful abductor muscles and denser basic. This would accept helped the cats' stability and given them more power when wrestling with their prey.

These concrete adaptations suggest that saber molar tigers were ambush hunters that stalked their casualty. The structure of their head (equally mentioned above) and their teeth provide farther evidence for this theory.

Saber tooth tigers also had 1 other adaptation that supports the theory that they were ambush hunters. Dissimilar modern-24-hour interval cats, such every bit lions and cheetahs, Saber molar tigers had a bobtail. A long tail is used by big cats to provide stability and balance when they are chasing their prey. Without this long tail, it is more likely that these big cats would take hidden and waited for their prey. One time they had surprised their prey, they would have delivered a fatal bite using their impressive canines.

Image of a man with a spear opposite a sabre tooth tiger
Humans are probable to exist the crusade of the saber molar tiger going extinct.

Social Behaviour

Different mod cats – such as tigers and house cats – which are solitary hunters, the saber tooth tiger was a social animate being. Information technology is thought that they lived in packs and had a social structure much as lions practise.

Fossils found all over North America provide evidence for this theory. Smilodon fossils found in the La Brea tar pits show proof that some of the animals had experienced fractures, severe crushing, crippling arthritis, and other degenerative diseases. If these cats were solitary hunters, it is likely they would have died before these wounds healed.

Many of the bones found showed all-encompassing healing and regrowth. This suggests that the cats survived after their injuries and were near likely cared for by other cats. At the very to the lowest degree, the other cats enabled them to feed.

The bones did, yet, show some evidence of testify from other saber molar cats, suggested that fights sometimes broke out, most likely over females.

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Biologydictionary.net Editors. "Saber Molar Tiger." Biological science Dictionary, Biologydictionary.net, 28 Jul. 2020, https://biologydictionary.net/saber-tooth-tiger/.

Biologydictionary.net Editors. (2020, July 28). Saber Molar Tiger. Retrieved from https://biologydictionary.net/saber-tooth-tiger/

Biologydictionary.cyberspace Editors. "Saber Tooth Tiger." Biology Dictionary. Biologydictionary.net, July 28, 2020. https://biologydictionary.net/saber-tooth-tiger/.

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