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Although we are familiar with cinema representations of sabre-toothed cats, only a handful of
prehistoric big cats exceeded an average weights of 100 kilos and only four or five North American
prehistoric big cats (not all are true cats) are in the 100+ kilos category. This means few were longer
or taller at the shoulder than a modern leopard or jaguar. Many of the "bigger" prehistoric big cats
were compact, muscular animals. Modern big cats are relatively long-legged and lithe in comparison.
Although they are often called "big cats" many of the prehistoric species were not true cats, but were
cat-like mammals. South America and Australia were both island continents and lacked placental
mammals. The "lions" and "tigers" of those continents were lion-like marsupials, more closely related
to kangaroos, wombats and their like. Theyare known as "cat analogues" as they resembled cats and
filled the same ecological niche as cats. Another line of prehistoric cats were the Paleofelids ("ancient
cats") that developed in parallel with the true cats and from a common ancestor, but which have left no
modern descendants. Finally there are the prehistoric true cats, extinct relatives of modern cats. Why
would evolution create creatures very similar in form to cats? It's an example of convergent evolution -
there are a limited number of solutions to environmental conditions hence animals that aren't closely
related often independently evolve similar traits as they both adapt to similar environments and niches.
The cat-like form has evolved at least three times: marsupial lions/tigers, Paleofelids and Neofelids.
Sabre-toothed cat-like animals evolved separately four times in evolutionary history: Nimravids, Felids,
Creodonts and the Thylacosmilids.
The taxonomy (classification) of both living and extinct species changes frequently. As more fossil
evidence comes to light, species are reclassified. Some are given their own species or genus while
others are absorbed into an existing species or genus and their original classification is scrapped.
Oligocene 33.7 million to 23.8 million years ago A relatively quiet time for mammalian
evolution, few new faunas appeared.
Pliocene 5 million to 1.8-1.6 million years ago Modern mammals continue to diversify.
Pleistocene 1.8-1.6 million to 10,000 years ago Includes the ice ages.
Holocene 10,000 radiocarbon years ago to present Recent era. Also called Alluvium epoch.
day
Other Definitions
Placentals Mammals that carry their young to full term in an internal womb.
Although there are references to animals being found in places far apart on the modern world map, the
continents used to look very different. Some land masses that were once joined together have now
split and drifted apart, others that were far apart have collided. Some land masses that are currently
not joined to each other were joined by ancient land bridges when sea levels were much lower than
they are today.
EVOLUTION OF MODERN CATS (SUMMARY)
Carnivorous mammals evolved from Miacids small pine marten-like insectivores that lived 60 million -
55 million years ago. The miacids split into two lines: Miacidae and Viverravidae. Miacidae gave rise to
Arctoidea/Canoidea group (bears and dogs) while Viverravidae gave rise to Aeluroidea/Feloidea group
(cats, hyenas, civets, mongooses) around 48 million years ago. The Viverravidae also gave rise to a
group called Nimravidae. The Nimravids were cat-like creatures that evolved in parallel with true cats;
they are not part of true cat lineage and have left no living descendents.
The first true cat to arise from Viverravidae was Proailurus (first cat") around 30 million years ago. The
best-known species was P lemanensis, found in France.
Proailurus was a small weasel-like cat with relatively short legs and a long body. It had one more
premolar on each side of its bottom jaw than do modern cats. About 20 million years ago, Proailurus
gave rise to Pseudaelurus. Pseudaelurus were Miocene ancestors of cats. Pseudaelurus lorteti was
about the size of a large lynx while P validus was the size of a large lynx or small puma. Three other
species of early cat are described as Pratifelis, Vishnufelis and Sivaelurus (S chinjienis).Pseudaelurus
went on to split into two major groups: the Machairodontinae (true sabre-tooths) and Schizailurus (the
ancestor of the modern day Felidae group).
The very early cats would have looked something like this modern day Fossa, a Madagascan mammal
related to the Mongoose. This carnivore occupies a similar ecological niche to cats and preys on lemurs
and rodents.
Note: The names prefixed with "?" are questionable. They may result from misidentification of incomplete
fossils. Taxonomists rarely agree over which species are separate and which are synonyms. For
example, some members of Pseudaelurus have been classified as Metailurus (see the table for
Machairodontinae).
18 million years ago, Schizailurus gave rise to the Felidae. The first of the modern Felids were the
early cheetahs; now represented by Acinonyx (modern cheetah); true cheetahs are believed to have
evolved around 7 million years ago. Some sources claim Miracinonyx (North American cheetahs)
evolved only 4 million years ago from Acinonyx, but recent studies show Miracinonyx was probably
ancestral to both cheetahs and puma and was intermediate in type between these two modern
species.
Around 12 million years ago, genus Felis appeared and eventually gave rise to many of our small cats.
Two of the first modern Felis species were Felis lunensis (Martelli's cat, extinct), and Felis manul
(Manul or Pallas's Cat, living). Extinct Felis species are: F attica, F bituminosa, F daggetti, F
issiodorensis (Issoire Lynx), F lunensis and F vorohuensis. The ancestor of modern Felis species was
F attica. Genus Panthera ("biting cats" or "roaring cats") genera evolved around 3 million years ago;
there are a number of extinct species discussed later in this article.
Genera Acinonyx, Felis and Panthera are all represented today and taxa of some modern species is
regularly revised as more complete fossils of ancestral species are found, giving a clearer indication of
who begat whom and when various lineages split.
FAMILY THYLACOSMILIDAE: MARSUPIAL "SABRE-TOOTH TIGER"
The jaguar-sized Thylacosmilus
("pouched blade") was a large,
predatory marsupial; part of a unique
group of predators on the South
American pampas; the borhyaenids.
These appeared in the Miocene and
ruled the South American forests and
woodlands for some 30 million years,
but have no known ancestor or
descendant. Thylacosmilus was the
most successful member of that family
and was the ultimate mammalian predator of its day in Plio-Pleistocene South America, but when the
continents of North America and South America joined, it lost out to the more highly developed and
faster eutherian cats.
Two species are described: T atrox and T lentis. Thylacosmilus atrox looked like a sabre-toothed cat,
but is more closely related to kangaroos. As far as we know, Thylacosmilus was the only marsupial to
have developed the sabre-toothed weapon. Like Smilodon, the eutherian sabre-tooth tiger, it had
adapted to hunting mega-fauna.
Thylacosmilus lacked incisor teeth, but had very long upper canine teeth that grew continually. These
long stabbing teeth projected below the mouth-line. Strong neck and jaw muscles allowed the sabre-
teeth to be driven downward with a tremendous killing force. Its huge stabbing teeth were about 15 cm
(6 inches) long (longer than those of Smilodon) and may have been used to slash the soft throat of its
prey. The jaws were capable of a gape that left the teeth clear to do their work. These sabres grew
continually throughout Thylacosmilus's life, much like the incisors of modern rodents. Unlike Smilodon
(see later), it had no scabbard-like tooth-guards on its lower jaw though its skull had a deep flange on
its lower jaw, forming a protective sheath for when the sabre teeth were not being used.
Unlike modern cats, which tend to be sleek and long-legged, it appears to have been short-legged and
heavily built, being about 1.2 metres (4 ft) long and weighing around 100 kilos. Its claws were not
retractile. It probably preyed on large, slow-moving mammals and when the two continents joined, the
highly specialised Thylacosmilus could not compete against the faster, sleeker eutherian big cats.
South America has also had at least three species of cats whose body weights exceeded 300 kilos -
about twice the weight of modern lions.
FAMILY THYLACOLEONIDAE: MARSUPIAL "LION"
The Thylacoleonidae were lion-like marsupials that inhabited Australia in Oligocene to Pleistocene
times. They probably hunted across the Australian grasslands, although some may have been
arboreal. They were vombatomorphian (wombat-like) marsupials, evolved from herbivore ancestors;
their closest living relatives being koalas and wombats. The more primitive species had generalised
crushing molar teeth (like modern omnivores) as well as carnassial blades. In more specialised
species, the crushing molars were reduced or absent and the carnassials had become huge.
The Thylacoleonidae ranged from the size of a domestic cat to the size of a leopard and possibly even
the size of a lion (1.7 metres/5 ft 6 in). So far, eight species of marsupial lion have been discovered
and there may be at least two more. Those of genus Wakaleo were leopard-sized and designed for
power rather than speed. W alcootaensis was slightly larger than W oldfieldi or W vanderleueri. These
"marsupial leopards" may have ambushed prey from tree branches. Priscaleo was much smaller. P
pitikantensis was about the size of a modern Australian possum. P roskellyae was about the size of a
domestic cat, possibly up to ocelot-sized, and may have been arboreal.
Dinictis was a small nimravid that lived on the plains of North America during the late Eocene and
early Oligocene (40 million years ago). Dinictids had a sleek bodies, short legs, long tails, and walked
plantigrade ("on the whole foot" modern cats walk digitigrade "on the toes").
Eusmilus was a dirk-toothed cat found in France and parts of North America during the late Oligocene
(30.5-28.5 million years ago). It was noted for its long, flattened sabres and very prominent mandibular
flange. Most were leopard-sized and rather long-bodied and short-legged compared to modern
leopards. Some reached 2.5 metres (8 ft) long. It was a typical false sabre-tooth with enlarged upper
canines, but insignificant lower canines, while many of the other teeth had been lost to accommodate
its sabres (Eusmilus had 26 teeth, compared to 44 teeth in other carnivores). The jaw hinge was
modified to open to an angle of 90 degrees to allow the great sabre teeth to do their work. Its lower jaw
had bony guards that lay along the length of the sabres, protecting them from damage when the
mouth was closed. There is fossil evidence of conflict between Eusmilus and Nimravus.
The lion-sized Barbourofelis was one of the most recent members of the Nimravidae family. It lived
during the late Miocene (15 million - 6 million years ago) and had the longest canines of all the
nimravids. They had very prominent flanges on the lower jaws and an unusually shaped skull. The
Barbourofelids were probably very muscular, resembling a bear-like lion or lion-like bear. Pogonodon
was a cat-like sabre-tooth.
Note: The names prefixed with "?" are questionable. They may result from misidentification of incomplete fossils.
Note: The names prefixed with "?" are questionable. They may result from misidentification of incomplete fossils.
This contains the famous sabre-toothed "tiger", Smilodon ("blade tooth"), of the late Pleistocene age
(1.5 million - 10,000 years ago). The three known species were widespread throughout the Americas.
Smilodon was stocky, with short, powerful legs and a bobtail. Their canine teeth were the longest of all
the true sabre-toothed cats, being about 18 cm long. The South America Smilodon populator was the
largest species. The South American Smilodon neogaeus is probably a synonym for S populator. The
more famous Smilodon fatalis was found across North and South America, having migrated there from
North America during the Pleistocene. S fatalis is sometimes divided into two separate species: S
californicus and S floridanus (these may have been sub-species or variant populations i.e. S fatalis
californicus and S fatalis floridanus). They are usually compared to the modern lion based on body
length (1.2 metres/4 ft) and conformation, but were more robustly and powerfully built. S fatalis and S
populator were around 11/2 - 2 times heavier than the average lion (around 170 kilos). Smilodon
gracilis was the smallest of the Smilodons and the earliest species (about 2.5 million years ago); it was
found in the eastern United States and weighed around 80 kilos.
Smilodon's anatomy shows them to be were specialised hunters of big game; they probably
ambushed their prey - their robust build is not designed for chasing it down. Most modern cats have
carnassials that can crunch smaller bones, but Smilodon's teeth lacked bone-crunching adaptations
and were entirely adapted to shearing soft tissue. The muscles of its shoulders and neck were
arranged to produce a powerful downward lunge of its massive head. The jaw opened to an angle of
over 120 degrees, to allow the huge upper canines to be driven into prey. The canines were oval in
cross-section to retain strength, but also to ensure minimum resistance as they were sunk into the
prey. They were also serrated along their rear edges, so they pierced flesh more easily. They probably
preyed on large, slow-moving, thick-skinned herbivores, but also scavenged dead and dying animals.
More than 2000 Smilodon skeletons have been recovered from the Pleistocene tar pits of La Brea
(Los Angeles, USA) where they had been fatally lured by large animals trapped in the tar.
It seems likely that Smilodon lived in family groups, much like modern lions, and possibly hunted in
groups. Some specimens showed signs of healed fractures, suggesting they ate food caught by family
members. Their extinction seems to have coincided with open plains taking over from forest/woodland.
Smilodon was not built for the chase and this reduction in cover would have made it harder to ambush
prey.
Megantereon was another genus of cats with impressive canine teeth, although they are not well-
represented. About the size of a jaguar (1.2 metres/4 ft), they flourished in the Mediterranean and
spread throughout Africa, Eurasia and North America around 3 million - 1 million years ago. The only
complete skeleton was found in France. They had very large upper canines but relatively small lower
ones. Though impressive, its teeth were more like daggers than sabres in size and shape, hence
Megantereon and its immediate relatives are referred to as dirk-tooth (dagger-tooth) cats. They are
also characterized by their prominent mandibular flange. Only a single species, Megantereon
cultridens, is known from fossil records, although some Chinese specimens are known as M.
nihowanensis. They are believed by most to be the direct ancestors of Smilodon and other later sabre-
tooth cats.
Also in this group is Paramachairodus, although it is under much debate as to the placement of this
genus. Many animals formerly placed in this genus have been reassigned to Pontosmilus and placed
within Metailurini. They are thought to have existed between 20 - 9 million years ago. The two species
known are Paramachairodus ogygia (Spain) and Paramachairodus orientalis, plus the disputed P
maximiliani..
ACINONYX AND MIRACINONYX: EARLY CHEETAHS
Modern Felids evolved around 18 million years ago. The first of these were the early cheetahs; now
represented by Acinonyx (modern cheetah); true cheetahs are believed to have evolved around 7
million years ago. Some sources claim Miracinonyx (North American cheetahs) evolved only 4 million
years ago from Acinonyx, but recent studies show ("miracle cheetah") was probably ancestral to both
cheetahs and puma and was intermediate in type between these two modern species. Another
cheetah was the Sivapanthera genus.
Cheetah-like cats arose around 18 million years ago. According to some studies, the ancestor of
modern cheetahs originated in Africa during the Miocene and later migrated, giving rise to the now-
extinct North American cheetahs. More recent studies suggest that a North American cheetah called
Miracinonyx was the ancestor of both African cheetahs (modern Acinonyx) and American pumas
(Puma concolor). Miracinonyx would have migrated across continents during the Ice Age. Miracinonyx
inexpectatus [M studeri] existed in North America during the early Pleistocene (1 to 1.5 millions years
ago) and may be even older. It had proportions intermediate between the modern cheetah and
modern pumaAs a result, iIt is sometimes linked to the cryptozoological Onza (a gracile form of puma).
Two species of cheetah inhabited late Pleistocene North America (100,000 years ago): Miracinonyx
inexpectatus [M studeri] and Miracinonyx trumani.
Fossil evidence of early cheetahs is fragmentary, but Miracinonyx resembles modern cheetahs in
having a short face, wide nasal passages and long body, but were less lanky. M inexpectatus and M
trumani may be the reason North American evolved into such fast sprinters; North America has no
living predator able to match the pronghorn's in speed. Unlike modern cheetahs, Miracinonyx
inexpectatus had fully retractile claws and more robust conformation with shorter limbs than modern
cheetahs. M inexpectatus would have been faster than the puma, but not as accomplished a sprinter
as modern cheetahs; it was also better equipped for climbing.
The early true cheetah, Acinonyx pardinensis, appeared during the Pliocene and at 200 lbs were much
larger than modern cheetahs. Known as Giant Cheetahs, they became widespread in China, southern
Europe and India throughout the Ice Age, were lion-sized cheetah and probably as fast as modern
cheetahs. Intermediate-sized cheetahs, Acinonyx intermedius, ranged from Africa as Far East as
China during the mid-Pleistocene and became adapted to hunting on open grassland. These were
larger than modern cheetahs. Acinonyx parchidinensis was the Pleistocene cheetah. The smaller
modern cheetah, A jubatus, was once much more widespread, but became extinct in eastern Asia at
the end of the Ice Age.
PANTHERA: BITING CATS
Biting cats are so-called because their relatively short, strong canines are adapted to dispatching prey
by biting the bones and sinew of the neck and throttling it. Genus Panthera genera evolved around 3
million years ago and these have become the modern day big cats ("roaring cats" or "biting cats").
Prehistoric relatives of modern big cats lived between the Pleistocene to Recent times and ranged
across South Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. Some, such as the "cave lion" were truly
impressive creatures, reaching 3.5 metres (111/2 ft). The modern lion, Panthera leo, is now restricted
to parts of Africa and to western India. There are extinct sub-species of the modern lion; until recent
times there were sub-species in Arabia and Iran (the Barbary lion has been rediscovered and is being
conserved).
Primitive lions (P leo fossilis) dispersed in the Old World about 500,000 years ago. P youngi, from
north-eastern China 350,000 years ago, had similarities to both P leo spelaea (European Cave Lion)
and P leo atrox (North American Cave Lion) and may be a link between the Eurasian/American cave
lions and Asian/African modern lions. Extinct Panthera species include: P atrox (P leo atrox)
(American lion), P gombaszoegensis (European jaguar), P leo spelaea (European Cave Lion), P
palaeosinensis (a primitive leopard), P pardoides (a primitive leopard), P schaubi (a short-faced
leopard) and P toscana (Tuscany lion, Tuscany jaguar). Some of these classifications are being
revised as more complete specimens are discovered. Panthera schaubi (syn Viretailurus schaubi),
which resembles a short-faced leopard, is currently regarded as an Old World puma, Puma schaubi.
Panthera leo spelaea, the European Cave Lion (300,000 to 10,000 years ago), was probably the
largest cat that ever lived, being around 25% larger than modern lions, and larger than modern
Siberian tigers. It was probably comparable in size to modern liger hybrids. It ranged across most of
Europe and is depicted in cave paintings. Cave paintings and remains show that it lived until historical
times in south-eastern Europe and possibly as recently as 2000 years ago in the Balkans. Cave
paintings from Germany show cave lions as having ruffs or manes and tufted tails. A wall engraving
from France and an ivory figurine of a lion-pelt-wearing human from Russia indicate faintly striped
pelts. European Cave Lions inhabited steppes and parkland regions in the north and semi-desert
areas in the south of Eurasia. They were evidently not adapted to deep snow or to dense forests.
Panthera atrox (P leo atrox) was a North American lion whose range extended to northern South
America (Peru). P atrox crossed to North America over the Bering Strait land bridge during the last ice
age, about 35,000 to 20,000 years ago. Its remains have been found in Alaska and some specimens
have been found in the La Brea tar pits, Los Angeles, USA. Relatively few P atrox fossils have been
recovered from La Brea compared to fossils of other carnivores; this lion may have been intelligent
enough to avoid the natural traps. It probably hunted deer, North American horses (which became
extinct and were reintroduced by European settlers) and American bison. They were among the
largest flesh-eating land animals that lived during the Ice Age. Compared to modern African lions, they
attained enormous size (25% larger) and had relatively long, slender limbs.
Panthera schaubi, currently classified as Puma schaubi, was a short-faced leopard-like cat about the
size of a small leopard or large lynx; it is believed to be an Old World puma. Fossil leopards have been
found in France and Italy, but in small quantities suggesting they were not prevalent in Europe. Felis
lacustris ("Lake Cat"), also appears to be a North American Pliocene puma.
Panthera gombaszoegensis (P onca gombaszoegensis), the European Jaguar, was present around
1.6 million years ago and was larger than early American jaguars, probably hunting larger prey. They
ranged across Italy, England, Germany, Spain, and France. Although currently given its own
classification, P toscana, the Tuscany Lion (aka Tuscany Jaguar), may turn out to be a synonym for P
gombaszoegensis. A form similar to P gombaszoegensis has been found dating from early
Pleistocene East Africa and had both lion- and tiger-like characters.
"Pleistocene Tigers" have been found in Alaska, North America and are dated at only 100,000 years
ago. There is debate over whether these were tigers or lions since the two species are structurally
similar, resulting in some authorities giving the American tigers a separate classification. Pleistocene
jaguars (approx 1.5 million years ago) were found as far north as Washington state and Nebraska,
USA. Similar in size to modern jaguars they probably had similar lifestyles and pursued similar prey.
The modern jaguar's range is South America and Central America, although some individuals have
been found as far north as Texas and Florida, USA.
Lynx were known to be present in North America and Eurasia in Pliocene or Pleistocene time. The
common ancestor of modern lynx and bobcats was probably a North American lynx of 6.7 million
years ago. The extinct Issoire Lynx (Lynx issiodorensis) of 4 million years ago was larger than modern
lynx with shorter legs. Modern lynx are smaller, a trend that is true in other species such as cheetah,
jaguar, leopard and lion where the prehistoric forms were giants compared to their modern
descendents. Their larger size was either an adaptation to colder climes or to cope with larger prey
species.
A Pliocene Lynx from Britain was described as Felis (Lynx) brevirostris in 1889. Bobcats are related
the Lynx. Earliest records of Bobcats (Lynx rufus, Felis rufus) date back 3.2 to 1.8 million years ago. It
is the descendant of an earlier and larger Pleistocene species Lynx issiodorensis. A predominant
Pleistocene subspecies of Bobcat was Lynx rufus calcaratus (Irvingtonian Bobcat), which was slightly
larger than modern Bobcats. Another Pleistocene subspecies was Lynx rufus koakudsi.
North American Pliocene small cats include: Felis lacustris ("Lake Cat"), once considered to be a lynx,
but now believed to be a puma; F rexroadensis which could be either a lynx or a leopard; F protolyncis
("Early Lynx") and F longignathus, which both resemble Lynx.
GENUS FELIS: PURRING CATS
Genus Felis evolved around 12 million years ago. This genus Felis eventually gave rise to many of our
small cats. They are known as "purring cats" because of the structure of their throat.
Two of the first modern Felis species were Felis lunensis (Martelli's cat, extinct), and Felis manul
(Manul or Pallas's Cat). The ancestor of modern Felis species, including domestic cats, was F attica
[syn F christoli].
Extinct Felis species are: F attica (primitive cat), F bituminosa, F daggetti, F issiodorensis, F lunensis
and F vorohuensis (Pleistocene cat). The following debatable species may also be found in literature:
F maniculus, F wenzensis, F antediluvia ("Cat from before the Biblical Flood"), F vireti, F (Sivafelis)
obscura.
Fossils of a presumed prehistoric margay, Leopardus amnicola ("River Margay"), have been found in
Arizona and Florida, USA.
WHAT DID THEY LOOK LIKE?
We have a fairly good idea of the
size and shape of prehistoric cats
and cat-like creatures, but what did
they actually look like? Did
prehistoric "lions" they have manes
and tail tufts? Did the sabre-tooth
"tiger" have stripes? Where they
sleek or shaggy? Prehistoric cats
and cat analogues were shaped by
the same forces that shaped
modern cats, allowing us to create
an image of what they looked like.
Like modern cats, most were
ambush hunters, lying in wait for
prey or stalking it before making a
final dash. This means they needed camouflage. Spots and swirls break up the outline of a predator in
undergrowth, while plain sandy or tawny hues blend into drier or barer backgrounds. The cats that
hunted on open plains were probably sandy brown or tawny like modern cougars and lions, possibly
with faint dappled markings. Others were probably more greyish in colour, like modern northern
lynxes. Forest and woodland forms would need leopard-like or jaguar-like markings to blend in with
dappled shade, though some may have been black. Although we speak of sabre-tooth "tigers", they
would not have been striped unless they lived in habitats similar to those of modern tigers e.g.
woodland with twiggy undergrowth or tall reeds . Depending on their habitat, the smaller cats would
most likely have been similar to modern Ocelots (swirled), European and African Wildcats (faint
mackerel tabby markings) or Leopard cats (spotted).
Those prehistoric big cats that lived in permanently snowy and icy climes would have needed paler
coats to blend in with snow or patchy snow. They may have had coats resembling modern snow
leopards. Some may have been almost white. They would need longer, denser fur to protect them
from the cold, compared to those in warmer climes who would have shorter, sleeker coats Like
modern cats, prehistoric cats in temperate zones (with summer and winter periods) would have
moulted and grown longer coats for winter and shorter coats for summer. Modern male lions have
manes, partly for social display and partly to protect their neck region during fights with competing
males. There is some evidence that Smilodon was also social and lived in family groups, so Smilodon
males may also have had manes or well-developed ruffs.
Most illustrations and reconstructions of prehistoric cats and cat analogues base their colour schemes
on modern cats of comparable sizes living in comparable habitats. The remarkable similarity of cats
living in similar habitats in different continents (e.g. lion and puma, jaguar and leopard) makes it
reasonable to assume that ancient cats in corresponding habitats also evolved similar markings.
Older encyclopaedias show them as lions or tigers with long tails and over-sized teeth. The following
image and texts are excerpts from "Wonders of Land and Sea" (?1913, edited by Graeme Williams).
The text accompanying this depiction read "It is believed by some naturalists that the stripes of the
sabre-toothed tiger ran horizontally along the body, while others maintain that they were as
represented here." The image is a romanticised view of two Smilodons in the branches of a huge tree.
Before the Eocene was
passing through the
Oligocene into the
Miocene, the carnivorous
type had reached its most
extravagant development,
not merely in the ancestral
Cat, but in the Sabre-
toothed "Tigers.” (A better
name for this group is
Machairodont -
sabretoothed - as they
were not specially allied to
tigers; the tiger is a true
cat of very modern origin.)
The Machairodonts were
the extreme of
mammalian ferocity -
felines preserving some
primitive features lost by
modern eats, but adapted
in teeth and jaws for slaying beyond any other mammal.
The mouth of the Sabre-toothed Tiger (which type did not reach its culmination, however, till the close
of the Miocene), could open with a gape that must have measured a foot and a half in the biggest
examples. And thus the twelve-inch long, flattened, sabre-like, serrated canines of the upper jaw could
be plunged for all their length into the neck or body of some great herbivore, aided by the leverage
exercised by the prolonged chin, with its massed incisors and stunted canines. The molar teeth,
reduced to two on each side, served only to sever, not to masticate, parcels of flesh. These gobbets
must have been swallowed whole; or possibly the extreme form of the Machairodont lived mainly by
blood-sucking, after severing the great arteries with its teeth. The biggest and most awful of the
Sabre-tooths (Smilodon neogeus) lived in South America, lingering on almost to the human period in
that region; while in Europe and Asia its near allies of the same genus were certainly
contemporaneous with man. Indeed, in England the Sabre-toothed “Tiger” was possibly still in
existence 100,000 years ago, when Paleolithic man had begun to take possession of the caves.
The True Cats, as distinct from the Machairodonts, apparently originated in Europe, and did not reach
America till quite late in geological history. The Machairodonts were also European in their birthplace,
finding their way to North America at a later date. But although America at the present day has no
feline larger than the Jaguar, it seems to have possessed - at any rate in north and northernmost
America, as late as the Pleistocene - cats as large as the Lion and Tiger; in fact, in all probability, near
relations of the Tiger. The Tiger would seem to be of Asiatic origin, and never to have reached
Europe, but to have extended its range to Arctic Asia (where its bones testify to its existence at no
very distant date, well within the Arctic circle, on the New Siberian islands), and perhaps across the
former Bering Isthmus into Arctic and Temperate North America. The Lion, which like the Jaguar and
Tiger sprang from a Leopard ancestor (from a stock chiefly rosetted and spotted, but also striped), is
most at home - so to speak - in France. The most primitive and jaguar-like type of Lion hitherto
discovered has been found in early Pliocene strata in Southern France, while the extremist
development of the Lion type also came into existence in France - the Cave Lion, which extended its
range over nearly all Germany, England, North Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. Its somewhat
degenerate descendant, the modern Lion (differing only from its ancestor by its much smaller size)
ranged far afield, into Spain, Africa, Western Asia, and India.
WHY ARE THERE NO SABRE-TOOTHS TODAY?
The various sabre-tooth cats and cat-analogues were adapted to hunting the mega-fauna that
inhabited various continents until the end of the last ice age. Changes in climate and habitat (and
possibly other factors such as human hunters and major viral illnesses) led to the extinction of the
mega-fauna. When prey species goes extinct, specialised predators such as sabre-tooth cats also
become extinct. Those that could adapt to hunting smaller, more agile prey (e.g. hoofed grazing
animals) went on to become modern cats. The population levels of elephants, our largest land
mammals, are probably too small to sustain a population of sabre-toothed predators. There is no need
for modern big cats to evolve into sabre-tooth forms; it would expend energy on growing the huge
teeth but gain no competitive edge over other predators.
The modern Clouded Leopard is the closest we have to a sabre-tooth cat. It has the longest canines
proportional to body size of any of the modern cats - the length of the fangs in approximately three
times greater than the width of the fang at the socket. The backs of the canine teeth are very sharp,
like those of the prehistoric sabre-toothed cats. There is a large gap between the canines and
premolars, enabling them to take large bits out of their prey. Given a few million years (if humans don't
wipe it out) in which to evolve and the right selective pressures, Genus Neofelis could give rise to the
next generation of sabre-tooths.
There are cryptozoological reports of sabre-tooth cats surviving to the modern day in remote areas.
The Tigre de Montage (Mountain Tiger) of northern Chad is described as lion-sized, striped reddish
and white, tailless (or bobtailed) and having huge projecting fangs. From a selection of images, the
one chosen by a Zagaoua hunter was Machairodus, an African sabre-tooth officially extinct for the last
million years. The region is remote, mountainous and not well-known in zoological terms. Similar tales
have come from the mountainous regions of Ecuador, Columbia, and Paraguay in South America, a
region that has harboured marsupial sabre-tooths and eutherian sabre-tooth cats. In 1975, a big cat
with 12 inch fangs was apparently killed in Paraguay; it was officially identified as a mutant Jaguar and
unofficially identified as a Smilodon (the carcass seems to have been lost, preventing further study).
Without firm evidence, e.g. a fresh or living specimen, sabre-tooth cats remain officially extinct.
The photos below show a fossil smilodon skeleton displayed at the Natural History Museum, South
Kensington, London. At its foot is a reconstruction.
CURRENT FELID CLASSIFICATION
There are 2 main schools of taxonomy - lumpers and splitters. In simplest terms, lumpers like to lump
species together into fewer genera based on shared traits. Splitters like to split genera into multiple
sub-genera or species (and species into sub-species) based on small differences. Until recently,
classification was based on analysis of physical features to determine which species belonged where;
with the pitfall of convergent evolution muddling the results. Recent DNA studies are giving a more
precise picture of relatedness of species. As a result there are often several alternative taxonomies at
genus, species and sub-species level! The following table is therefore a compromise.
Acinonyx Cheetah
Unknown Onza
FURTHER READING
• The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives (Mauricio Anton, Alan Turner & F Clark Howell
[Columbia Books])
Lots of information on prehistoric big cats. Only a little information on the Nimravids,
Thylacosmilus and Thylacoleo, mainly comparing these to the true cats. Lots of images
showing reconstructions and colour plates showing how they might have looked in their
natural environment.
• Macmillan Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Dinosaurs An D Prehistory Animals: A Visual Who's
Who Of Prehistoric Life (Dougal Dixon, Barry Cox, R J C Savage, Brian Gardiner)
A double spread of Nimravids and Felids showing examples of several examples from the
main genera. Thylacoleo and Thylacosmilus are illustrated in the prehistoric marsupials
section.
• Extinct (Anton Gill & Alex West [Channel 4 Books])
Looks at several extinct species, including Smilodon, with images derived from Channel 4 CGI
footage and animatronics.
• Estimating the weight of the Pleistocene marsupial lion, Thylacoleo carnifex (S. Wroe , T. J.
Myers , R. T. Wells and A. Gillespie)
Paper about the Australian "marsupial lion" printed in Australian Journal of Zoology, Vol 47
1999
• Killer Kangaroos and Other Murderous Marsupials (Stephen Wroe)
Paper printed in Scientific American, Vol 280, 1999. Looks at marsupial lions and other
prehistoric Australian predators.
• Move Over Sabre Tooth Tiger (Stephen Wroe)
Paper about Australia's "marsupial lion" in Nature Australia, Spring 2000