Top 5 Fascinating Facts About the Saber-Toothed Tiger

[{"selector":"#anim-089846f4-c3c1-4d64-8566-4e2c2e413d79 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)","translate(0%, 0%) scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] Written By US EDIT

It Wasn’t Actually a Tiger

[{"selector":"#anim-9239fffa-9157-4774-9ee3-f890be249b2b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c940ba28-913a-4547-bc57-a0ff0608d149","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-675cffc9-20fa-45d6-87e5-96ebe0fc3218","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -629.45505%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-596b12b3-a573-4d66-8898-47f98109fd0a","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f9c69c35-e4be-4b77-95c6-16e936c101db","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -604.74423%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] This animal didn’t belong to the modern tiger family. It was part of a separate group of prehistoric predators known as machairodonts. View More Arrow

Saber Teeth Could Reach Over 7 Inches Long

[{"selector":"#anim-2ba4ab5a-c137-4e00-bb18-9d038369be0f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9fe8d214-ec6b-4d61-932c-a1138b432122","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-af61f209-216c-4b1c-8209-778aa86fa463","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, -478.90944%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-14838f8f-bc31-4560-94e0-7468ecffb36b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-90fabe00-54f2-41cc-b13d-b88ada49bf70","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-110.83916%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn More Arrow The saber-toothed cat’s most iconic feature was its massive upper canine teeth, which could grow up to 7 inches (18 cm) long.

Built More Like a Bear Than a Modern Cat

[{"selector":"#anim-f8e87a13-db94-4e54-8a7c-197f05107b1e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":100,"duration":1700,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-81d732c5-0e87-46c0-8d66-1c36fcc9dbd7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-22de64f2-276a-4dfd-a6a2-5a274aef7f22","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 392.0852%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6243ce1a-ab46-4606-b910-3686377ab10c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-37614051-2287-45f1-87b6-1f4c5f0e5eb2","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 172.8512%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Smilodon had a stocky body, short tail, and extremely muscular forelimbs, making it better built for ambush than speed.

[{"selector":"#anim-23b09b62-e4a6-4378-9f24-dccc55e98136","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c372af81-1fd2-4000-9536-c5657d6a1510","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 814.21177%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-549bed5b-311e-4495-b9ee-00536b4ab717","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":400,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-30f2525f-61fe-4e42-94f4-4f80e5336c01","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 134.20379%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":400,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] It Hunted Giant Prey Saber-toothed cats roamed during the Pleistocene epoch and shared their environment with megafauna like mammoths, mastodons, giant ground sloths, and bison. They were apex predators and played a vital role in keeping the herbivore population in check.

[{"selector":"#anim-a5759002-5877-4cc5-a0d4-ec23ebe1b62b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":400,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c5686579-5349-4d58-a0d7-247f296bbae8","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 146.73453%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":400,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1a824000-7502-47cf-806b-929e829acf04","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e07d9f33-ebf1-48f7-8c53-64af773099b5","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 532.17772%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Smilodon vanished around 10,000 years ago, likely due to a combination of climate change, habitat loss, and the decline of large prey animals. Human activity and overhunting of megafauna may have also contributed to their extinction. Likely Went Extinct Due to Rapid Climate Change and Prey Loss

[{"selector":"#anim-2c3dbade-f800-4246-8907-592fb47e663b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5b72f716-0af7-43c9-bbb4-7be0ec09cebe","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 127.48986%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":1400,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] The saber-toothed tiger may be extinct, but its legacy lives on through fossils, museum exhibits, and pop culture. From its impressive fangs to its unique hunting style, Smilodon remains one of the most fascinating creatures to ever walk the Earth.