How big was the saber-toothed tiger? Saber-toothed tiger. The clouded leopard is a modern descendant of the saber-toothed tiger
In this article I will talk about saber-toothed tigers. About how they looked, ate, hunted. I will consider the reasons that prevented the further development and prosperity of these big cats.
Who are saber-tooth tigers
Saber-toothed tigers are members of the felid subfamily that went extinct about 10,000 years ago.
By the way, they never belonged to tigers. They probably weren't even striped.
The erroneous name for the animals appeared after excavations where the remains of upper fangs were found, reaching a length of 20 centimeters. They reminded scientists in appearance of the fangs of a modern tiger.
Saber-toothed tiger period
Saber-toothed tigers, or smilodon, appeared about 20 million years ago in Africa.
The predecessors of big cats began to rapidly develop upper canines, which undoubtedly influenced the further evolution of these animals. Their further habitats extended more towards North and South America, less towards Asia and Europe.
It is not known for certain how Smilodon lived. It is believed that the animals preferred large, open areas with little vegetation. It is also unknown in which groups the tigers lived. The generally accepted opinion is that if big cats lived in groups, then the latter consisted of an equal number of males and females.
Description of appearance and behavior
There is no reliable information about the appearance of the animals, because conclusions about what the saber-toothed tiger looked like were made solely from the remains found.
A large number of remains were found in the Los Angeles Valley in an oil lake. During the Ice Age, it attracted Smilodon with its brilliance. As a result, they died, being unable to withstand the liquid asphalt from the lake.
The color of the animals was presumably light brown interspersed with small leopard spots.
There is also debate about whether albino saber-tooth tigers ever existed.
Smilodon's legs were short. The cats pinched the victim with them and dug their twenty-centimeter fangs into the poor thing’s throat. The fangs could also be used to remove the “fur coat” of a killed animal.
The tail was also short, unlike the tail of modern tigers.
These ancient species were not known for their great endurance, mainly due to their massive physique. However, no one was inferior to them in reaction speed. It’s scary to imagine what it was like for people who lived in the same territory and at the same time as these ferocious predators.
Where they lived, how and who they hunted
Smilodon habitats
The animals lived mainly in America. However, the remains of animals were also found in the territories of Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Food and hunting
Smilodon ate only animal food.
Their diet included antelope, bison, horses, deer and even young mammoths. Sometimes predatory animals also feasted on carrion.
The main hunters were females.
They always walked ahead of the pack. Having caught the prey, they immediately strangled it with their massive front paws.
This behavior is similar to the behavior of cats, and not tigers, which again confirms the lack of relationship between Smilodon and modern tigers.
Smilodon competitors
The competitors of the saber-toothed cat in America were birds of prey of the Fororacoceae family and giant sloths Megatherium, whose weight sometimes reached 4 tons.
In North America, danger to these predators included cave lions, bears and wolves.
Reasons for the extinction of Smilodon
To begin with, it is worth noting that there is no confirmation that saber-toothed cats continue to exist in our time. Although loud statements periodically appear in the press that Smilodon were seen somewhere in the mountains.
The reason for the extinction of Smilodon was presumably the disappearance of protein-rich vegetation. After the Ice Age, plants grew again, but their chemical composition was different. This led to the death of the herbivores, and subsequently the tigers themselves.
Modern descendants of saber-toothed tigers
Clouded leopards are indirect descendants of saber-toothed tigers.
However, only three-centimeter fangs remained from the large twenty-centimeter fangs, and beautiful eyes from the ferocious gaze.
The clouded leopard, unlike other leopards, is separated into a separate genus: it did not descend from panthers.
It is believed that there are no direct descendants of Smilodon.
Saber-toothed tigers became extinct due to the work of the uncompromising laws of nature: cooling and disappearance of vegetation.
Today, in the age of computer graphics and high technology, they are trying to recreate Smilodon using genetic engineering methods.
This is a complex, expensive and time-consuming process. In addition, the extinction of saber-toothed tigers is another reason to think about the need to protect nature and its riches, because every hour on our planet as many as 3 species of living beings disappear. And whether the representatives of the Red Book will remain alive in the future is up to us to decide.
Most of us became acquainted with saber-toothed tigers on the pages of Alexander Volkov’s fairy tale “The Wizard of the Emerald City.” In fact, the name “saber-toothed tiger” is far from consistent with the structure and habits of these animals, and is used mainly due to mass circulation by the media.
Modern science believes that these animals lived in prides, hunted together and were generally closer to modern lions, but this does not indicate their relationship or even identity. The ancestors of modern felids and the ancestors of saber-toothed cats separated during evolution millions of years ago. In Eurasia, saber-toothed cats are thought to have gone extinct 30,000 years ago, and in America, the last saber-toothed cat died about 10,000 years ago. However, information is coming from Africa indicating that the saber-toothed tiger may still have survived in the wilds of this continent.
One of the people talking about this possibility is Christian Le Noel, a famous French hunter of large African animals. In the second half of the twentieth century, Noel made a living by organizing African hunts for moneybags. He spent many years in the Central African Republic near Lake Chad. Below is an abbreviated translation of Le Noel's article on saber-toothed tigers.
Saber-toothed tigers in the center of Africa?
In the Central African Republic, where I worked professionally as a hunt leader and organizer for twelve years, local African tribesmen talk a lot about a saber-toothed predator they call Koq-Nindji, which translates to “mountain tiger.”
Interestingly, among the legendary animals, Koq-Nindji occupies a privileged position. The fact is that stories about this animal are common among peoples of various races and tribes, many of whom have never met each other. All these peoples call the habitat of the “mountain tiger” the area limited by the mountainous Tibesti plateau, the left tributary of the Nile - Bahr el-Ghazal, the plateaus of the Sahara desert and further the mountains of Uganda and Kenya. Thus, the appearance of this animal was noted over several thousand square kilometers.
The description of the animal practically corresponds to scientists’ understanding of the appearance of saber-tooths, whose fossil remains were discovered and dated back to 30 to 10 thousand years ago. Thus, the ancient saber-toothed tigers lived at the time when the first modern humans appeared.
Hunters of African tribes are practically illiterate people and have never seen a single textbook. I decided to take advantage of this and showed them several photographs of feline predators that exist in our time. In the middle of the stack of photographs I placed an image of a saber-toothed tiger. All the hunters chose him as the “mountain tiger” without hesitation.
As proof, they even showed me a cave into which the animal dragged the prey taken from the hunters. Then the tiger, without visible effort, carried away the carcass of a three hundred kilogram antelope. According to the hunters, this was thirty years before our conversation, which took place in 1970.
Among the peoples living in the north of the Central African Republic, stories about the “water lion” are also widespread. I'm guessing it's the same animal. Or these animals are close relatives.
There is written evidence from a European about a “water lion.” In 1910, a French column led by an officer and non-commissioned officers was sent to suppress a rebellion by local residents. To cross the Bemingui River, pirogues were used that carried ten people. The military archives preserved an officer’s report about how a certain lion attacked a pirogue and carried away one of the shooters in its mouth.
According to local residents, “water lions” live in caves located on the rocky banks of local rivers. Predators are predominantly nocturnal. “Their eyes sparkle at night like carbuncles, and their roar is like the roar of the wind before a storm,” say the locals.
My friend Marcel Halley, who hunted in Gabon in the twenties of the twentieth century, witnessed a strange fact. One day, while hunting in a swamp, he was attracted by strange wheezing sounds from the thickets. He discovered an injured female hippopotamus. There were several deep and long wounds on the animal’s body that could not have been inflicted by another hippopotamus, especially since these animals never attack females. Only males fight among themselves. Among other wounds, the animal had two huge and deep ones: one on the neck and the second on the shoulder.
The wounds on the neck and shoulder were round in shape and were so deep that the arm plunged into them up to the elbow. The wounds were not yet infected, which indicated their recent origin. These wounds could very well have been inflicted by a predator resembling a saber-toothed tiger, and could not have been inflicted by any known existing predator.
In these places, representatives of flora extinct throughout the rest of the Earth have been preserved, such as, for example, cycads from the genus Encephalartos. Why not assume that animals considered fossils also managed to survive?
The saber-toothed tiger is a giant among cats. For several million years it dominated the territory of America, but disappeared quite suddenly almost 10 thousand years ago. The true causes of the extinction have never been established. Today there are no animals that can safely be attributed to his descendants.
Only one thing is known with certainty: the animal has nothing to do with tigers.
Similar anatomical features of the skull (very long fangs, wide-opening mouth) are observed in clouded leopards. Despite this, no evidence of a close relationship between the predators could be found.
Family history
The animal belongs to the cat family, subfamily Machairodontinae or Saber-toothed cats, genus Smilodon. Translated into Russian, “Smilodon” means “dagger tooth.” The first individuals appeared during the Paleogene period about 2.5 million years ago. A tropical climate with slight temperature fluctuations and lush vegetation favored the general flourishing of mammals. Predators of the Paleogene period multiplied rapidly and did not experience a shortage of food.
The Pleistocene, which replaced the Paleogene, was characterized by a harsher climate with alternating glaciations and periods of slight warming. The saber-toothed cats adapted well to their new habitat and felt great. The distribution range of animals covered South and North America.
At the end of the last ice age, the climate became drier and warmer. Where impenetrable forests once stretched, prairies appeared. Most of the megafauna could not withstand climate change and died out; the remaining animals moved to open spaces, learned to run quickly, and evade persecution.
Having lost their usual prey, predators were unable to switch to smaller animals. The peculiarities of the animal's constitution - short legs and a short tail, a bulky body - made it clumsy and inactive. He could not maneuver or pursue the victim for a long time.
The long fangs made it difficult to catch small animals; they broke during an unsuccessful attempt to grab the victim, piercing into the ground instead. It is quite possible that it was precisely because of famine that the period of saber-toothed tigers ended and there is no point in looking for other explanations.
Kinds
- The species Smilodon fatalis appeared on the American continents 1.6 million years ago. It had average size and weight, comparable to the weight of a modern tiger - 170 - 280 kg. Its subspecies include Smilodon californicus and Smilodon floridus.
- The species Smilodon gracilis lived in the western regions of America.
- The Smilodon populator species was distinguished by its largest size, had a stocky build, and exceeded the weight of the largest tigers. Effectively killed the victim by cutting the carotid artery and trachea with sharp fangs.
Paleontological finds
In 1841, the first report of a saber-tooth tiger appeared in the fossil record. Fossil remains were found in the state of Minas Geras in eastern Brazil, where Danish paleontologist and naturalist Peter Wilhelm Lund conducted excavations. The scientist studied and described the relics in detail, systematized the facts and identified the beast as a separate genus.
Rancho La Brea, located in a bitumen valley near the city of Los Angeles, is famous for many finds of prehistoric animals, including the saber-toothed cat. During glacial times, there was a black lake in the valley, filled with a composition of thickened oil (liquid asphalt). A thin layer of water collected on its surface and attracted birds and animals with its shine.
The animals went to water and ended up in a death trap. All you had to do was step into the fetid mud and your feet themselves would stick to its surface. Under the weight of their bodies, the victims of optical illusion gradually sank into the asphalt, from which even the strongest individuals could not get out. The game bound by the lake seemed like easy prey for predators, but as they made their way to it, they themselves found themselves trapped.
In the middle of the last century, people began to extract asphalt from the lake and unexpectedly discovered there many well-preserved remains of animals buried alive. More than two thousand skulls of saber-toothed cats were raised outside. As it turned out later, only young individuals fell into the trap. Apparently the old animals, already taught by bitter experience, avoided this place.
Scientists from the University of California began studying the remains. Using a tomograph, the structure of the teeth and bone density were determined, and a number of genetic and biochemical studies were carried out. The skeleton of a saber-toothed cat was restored in great detail. Modern computer technology has helped to recreate the image of the animal and even calculate the force of its bite.
Appearance
One can only guess what the animal saber-toothed tiger actually looks like, because the image created by scientists is very conventional. In the photo, the saber-toothed tiger does not look at all like living representatives of the cat family. Large fangs and bear proportions make it unique and one of a kind. The dimensions of a saber-toothed tiger are comparable to the linear parameters of a large lion.
- Body length 2.5 meters, height at withers 100 - 125 cm.
- The unusually short tail had a length of 20 - 30 cm. This anatomical feature deprived predators of the ability to run quickly. When turning at high speed, they could not maintain balance, maneuver and simply fell.
- The weight of the animal reached 160 - 240 kg. Large individuals from the species Smilodon populator exceeded the weight and had a body mass of 400 kg.
The predator was distinguished by a powerful wrestling physique and awkward body proportions. - In the photo, saber-toothed cats have well-developed muscles, especially on the neck, chest and paws. Their forelimbs are longer than their hind limbs, and their wide feet end in sharp retractable claws. A saber-toothed cat could easily grab an enemy with its front paws and throw him to the ground as best he could.
- The saber-toothed tiger's skull was 30 - 40 cm in length. The frontal and occipital parts are smoothed, the massive facial part is extended forward, the mastoid process is well developed.
- The jaws opened very wide, almost 120 degrees. Special attachment of muscles and tendons made it possible to press the predator's upper jaw to the lower jaw, and not vice versa, as in all modern cats.
- The upper fangs of the saber-toothed tiger protruded 17 - 18 cm from the outside, their roots penetrated into the bones of the skull almost to the very eye sockets. The total length of the fangs reached 27 - 28 cm. They were compressed from the sides, well sharpened at the very ends, pointed in front and behind, and jagged. The unusual structure allowed the fangs to damage the thick skin of animals and bite through flesh, but deprived them of strength. If they hit the bones of the victim, the fangs could easily break, so the success of the hunt always depended on the correctly chosen direction and accuracy of the blow.
- The predator's skin has not been preserved and its color can only be established hypothetically. The color most likely was a camouflage device, and therefore corresponded to the habitat. It is quite possible that during the Paleogene period the fur had a sandy-yellow tint, and during the Ice Age only the white saber-toothed tiger was found.
Lifestyle and behavior
The ancient saber-toothed tiger is a representative of a completely different era and, in its behavior, bears little resemblance to modern cats. It is possible that the predators lived in social groups, which included three to four females, several males and young individuals. It is possible that the number of females and males was equal. By hunting together, animals could catch larger game, which means they could provide themselves with more food.
These assumptions are confirmed by paleontological finds - several skeletons of cats were often found near one skeleton of a herbivore. An animal, weakened by injuries and diseases, with such a lifestyle could always count on a portion of the prey. According to another theory, the tribesmen were not distinguished by nobility and ate a sick relative.
Hunting
For thousands of years, the predator specialized in hunting animals with thick skins. Having fangs capable of piercing their thick skin, he created real terror during the Ice Ages. The small tail did not allow the animal to develop high speed and hunts fast-running game, so its victims were clumsy, massive herbivorous mammals.
The ancient saber-toothed tiger used cunning techniques and got as close to its prey as possible. The victim was almost always taken by surprise, quickly attacked and used real wrestling techniques. Thanks to the special structure of the paws and the well-developed muscles of the anterior shoulder girdle, the animal could hold the animal motionless with its paws for a long time, running its sharp claws into it and tearing the skin and flesh.
The size of the victim often exceeded the size of the saber-toothed tiger several times, but this did not save it from inevitable death. After the prey was knocked to the ground, the predator's fangs pierced deep into its throat.
The speed and accuracy of the attack, and the minimum noise during the attack increased the chances of the saber-toothed cat eating its trophy on its own. Otherwise, larger predators and packs of wolves would come running to the battlefield - and here you had to fight not only for your prey, but also for your own life.
The extinct saber-toothed cat ate exclusively animal food, was not known for moderation in food, and could eat 10–20 kg of meat at a time. Its diet included large ungulates and giant sloths. Favorite food: bison, mammoths, horses.
There is no reliable information about the reproduction and care of offspring. Since the predator belongs to the class of mammals, it can be assumed that its cubs fed on mother’s milk for the first month of life. They had to survive in difficult conditions and how many kittens survived to puberty is not known. The lifespan of the beast is also unknown.
- A giant fossil saber-toothed cat could very well be genetically cloned in the near future. Scientists hope to isolate DNA material suitable for the experiment from remains preserved in permafrost. The potential egg donor should be an African lioness.
- Many popular science films and cartoons have been made about saber-toothed tigers. The most famous of them are “Ice Age” (one of the main characters of the cartoon is the good-natured Smilodon Diego), “Walking with Monsters”, “Prehistoric Predators”. They touch on interesting facts from the life of Smilodons and reconstruct the events of bygone days.
- Predators had no serious competitors in their habitat. Megatheria (giant sloths) posed a certain danger to them. It is possible that they not only ate vegetation, but were also not averse to including fresh meat in their diet. When meeting with a particularly large sloth, Smilodon could well become both an executioner and a victim.
Saber-toothed tigers are considered the most aggressive predators throughout the existence of the planet. They were also called saber-toothed cats.
Their fangs were 14 centimeters long and were a deadly weapon. These powerful fangs had roots so large that they reached the eye sockets. These fangs were shaped like sabers, as they were flattened on the sides and had serrations in front and back, hence the name.
These animals are prehistoric representatives of the cat family. Paleontologists believe that the habits and lifestyle of saber-toothed tigers were similar to modern cats, both large and small.
Most of all, in appearance, saber-toothed tigers resembled Bengal tigers. But it’s difficult to call them full-fledged tigers.
Most likely, saber-toothed tigers belong to a separate branch, which is closely related to cats, since the civet became the ancestor of both.
The largest cat predators of the Cenozoic era were mahairods. They mainly ate rhinoceroses, which were found in abundance during the Tertiary period. Saber-toothed cats belonging to the mahairods lived in Asia and Europe. And South and North America were inhabited by saber-toothed Smilodon.
They disappeared from North America not too long ago - about 30 thousand years ago.
Saber-toothed tigers are predators of the cat family that became completely extinct in ancient times. The cats are formidable and dangerous, the distinctive feature of which was very large upper fangs, similar in appearance to sabers. What is known today about these extinct animals, what they looked like, what habits they had and why they disappeared, we will consider further.
Evolution of the genus
These animals are classified as to the cat family and the subfamily of saber-toothed cats (genus Smilodon - dagger tooth). The first representatives of the genus appeared in the distant Paleogene period, about 2.5 million years ago. A favorable tropical climate, with slight temperature changes, and green vegetation contributed to the flourishing of saber-toothed cats. During this period, they actively reproduced without feeling the need for food.
The next period is the Pleistocene, a time of more severe weather conditions, which is caused by alternating warming with glaciation. The saber-toothed tigers adapted perfectly to these climatic conditions and felt quite well. The distribution range of predators is North and South America.
The end of the last ice age was characterized by a dry and warm climate. In areas where there were previously impenetrable forests, prairies appeared. Most of the fauna could not adapt to such a harsh climate and died out. More persistent animals began to move to open and large places, learned to deftly evade predators and move quickly.
Saber-toothed cats are deprived of their usual food, predators were never able to switch to small prey. The peculiarity of the animal's structure - its large body, short tail and paws - made it inactive and clumsy. He could not chase a small animal for a long time.
Long fangs also made it very difficult to catch small animals. When attempting to capture, they stuck into the ground, and sometimes even broke. Famine set in, perhaps for this reason the saber-toothed tigers became extinct.
Appearance and lifestyle
The description of what a saber-toothed cat looked like is very relative. The image that scientists have created is very conventional. Externally, the saber-toothed tiger is completely different from other felines. The proportions are similar to those of a bear; large fangs make the predator unique in its kind.
Appearance
The dimensions of the ancient cat are comparable to those of a large lion:
Behavior and lifestyle
Saber-toothed cat is an ancient representative of felines, so its behavior does not resemble the behavior of modern cats. Perhaps the predators lived in small flocks, which included several males, females and young animals. The number of males and females was the same. To feed themselves, they hunted together, so they could kill larger prey.
These assumptions were confirmed archaeologically - one herbivore had several saber-toothed cats nearby. But the theory cannot be ruled out that the predators were not distinguished by nobility and ate their sick fellow tribesman.
Anatomical structure of a cat's body suggests that the animal could not develop high speed, so when hunting it sat in ambush, waiting for prey. And only then quickly and sharply he forged it. The herds of herbivores were extensive during the Pleistocene period. It was easy for saber-tooth tigers to get food.
The main food of saber-toothed tigers is meat. Bison and horse protein were found in their skeletal remains.
Extinct members of the genus
Saber-toothed cats are often called a large number of species that were distinguished by the same large fangs. Many cats have fangs as a result of adaptation to changing environmental conditions. With a more detailed study, you can find differences from real saber-toothed tigers. Let's look at the famous representatives of saber-toothed cats.
Mahayrods
This type of saber-toothed cat, which is known to scientists and most similar to a tiger. In ancient times, there were several species. They differed from each other in appearance and size, but they had one thing in common - large upper fangs, shaped like curved sabers.
These ancient predators first appeared in Eurasia, about 15 million years ago. The largest individuals reached 500 kg, and their size was close to the size of a modern horse. Scientists are confident that these extinct cats were the largest representatives of the felines. They hunted large animals, such as elephants and rhinoceroses. Like all predators of that period, they could compete with other carnivorous animals, with wolves and cave bears. Machairods are considered the progenitors of a better species of saber-toothed tigers - homotherians.
Homotherium
It is believed that these saber-toothed cats appeared 5 million years ago, at the boundary of the Miocene and Pleistocene. They are characterized by a more proportional physique, vaguely reminiscent of a modern lion. The front legs were significantly longer than the hind legs. Therefore, externally, predators look like hyenas. The front canines were shorter but wider than those of other saber-toothed cats. The fangs are highly jagged, so scientists concluded that these predators not only delivered slashing blows, but also performed cutting actions.
These saber-toothed cats were more resilient than their other cousins. Homotheria could move for a long time - run, albeit slowly. There is a theory that these extinct tigers lived alone. But this opinion has not become widespread, since many scientists believe that all saber-toothed cats hunted large prey in packs.
Smilodon
Compared to other types of saber-toothed cats, Smilodon had a powerful and muscular build. Smilodon populator- the most massive representative of saber-toothed tigers:
- height at the withers - 125 cm, and the length from the tip of the tail to the nose could reach 250 cm;
- The length of the fangs from tip to root reached 30 cm.
They hunted in a pack, where a leader was always present to guide the others. Presumably the color of the predator's fur was spotted, like that of a modern leopard. But scientists also believe that the males had a small mane. It is not difficult to obtain information about Smilodon; it can be found in reference books and fiction. Often these predators appear as characters in films and cartoons (“Ice Age”, “Prehistoric Park”, “Jurassic Portal”). Perhaps these are the most famous representatives of ancient tigers.
Modern descendant
Many scientists are inclined to believe that clouded leopard- a modern descendant of saber-toothed tigers. This leopard is not a direct descendant, but at the same time a close relative. The clouded leopard belongs to the panther cat subfamily.
The animal’s body is massive and compact, which is typical for more ancient representatives of saber-toothed cats. When compared with modern individuals, the clouded leopard’s canines are the longest (both lower and upper). The jaws of this predator open 85 degrees, which is much more than that of any modern predatory cat.
This leopard is not a direct descendant of saber-toothed tigers, but he is a vivid example of the fact that ancient cats easily hunted with the help of saber fangs.
Saber-toothed cats are a unique creation of nature, which, even after disappearing from the planet, make people admire, be horrified and surprised by them, putting forward various theories and hypotheses about their past life.