Saber Tooth Tiger Facts
Roaming the grasslands of the earth over ten thousand years ago were fearsome predators known as Saber Tooth Tigers. With their incredibly long sharp canine teeth, muscular build, and sharp paws they were extremely dangerous animals. On this page of Extinct Prehistoric Animal Facts we list numerous interesting facts for both kids and adults about the Saber Tooth Tiger who is one of the most famous prehistoric animals that ever lived.Basic Saber Tooth Tiger Facts
- The name Saber Tooth Tiger is misleading and incorrect. The term Saber Tooth Tiger is actually incorrectly used to refer to a group of extinct predatory mammal species that are related to modern day cats. They are correctly called saber-toothed cats (sometimes spelled sabre-toothed cats).
- Existing for about 42 million years, from the Eocene Epoch to the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, the last species died out about 10,000 years ago at the end of the earths last Ice Age.
- Where were these animals found? Species of these dangerous cats lived throughout the prehistoric world with their fossils being discovered on every continent with the exception of Australia and Antarctica.
- The most famous saber-toothed Tiger (Cat) is Smilodon; but it was only one genus of this amazing extinct animal. There are over a dozen other genera of this deadly animal.
- The various species ranged drastically in size. From Smilodon gracilis who weighed in at about 150 pounds (68 kilograms) to the massive Smilodon populator that roamed South America and could weigh as much as half a ton (454 kilograms).
- In examining their fossil remains scientist can see that these ancient mammals would have been much slower than their modern day relatives such as lions, tigers and other big cats. This means that they probably fed mostly on slow moving, young, or injured animals.
- Most modern day big cats live and hunt in packs. Based on research paleontologists believe Saber Tooth Tigers (Saber Tooth Tiger Cats) did the same. Fossils discovered of these animals that showed signs of old age and chronic diseases indicated they must have had the support of a pack in order to survive.
- What caused this amazing animal's extinction? Most scientist believe it was both the climate change that occurred at the end of the last ice age and the extinction of numerous large mammals which it relied on as a food source. It has been suggested, but is unlikely, that early humans may have contributed to this animals demise by hunting it and competing for the same food.
Basic Saber Tooth Tiger Teeth Facts
- The canine teeth of the largest Saber Tooth Tigers were nearly a foot long.
- These animals used their teeth to stab their prey.
- One interesting and surprising fact is that as big and scary as the Saber Tooth's canine teeth were they were not very strong and could be easily broken.
- This mammal had to be very careful in protecting their teeth when attacking prey. The loss of these teeth would all but take away its ability to kill prey and mean certain death from starvation for the cat.
EXTINCT ANIMALS FACTS