Saber-toothed cats are one of the most iconic Ice Age animals. Their oversized canine teeth are easy to recognize. The teeth can be as long as an adult human hand. They were not the only saber-toothed carnivore to live during the Ice age, but they are the most famous.We know saber-toothed cats as tigers or lions, but names can be deceiving. They were part of a unique group of animals. These large cats stood as tall as a human child does today. They were as long as a small sofa or couch. The saber tooth cat could be as heavy as two motor cycles stack on each other.
Saber-toothed cats likely had some things in common with modern lions. Both of the animals have throat bones, which suggest they could roar. They may have also lived in packs. Fossils suggests these cats were not solitary hunters not unlike the modern African lion. Hunting in pack increases the chances of finding a meal for the day. When the saber-toothed cat did hunt, it had a style all its own. Modern big cats have long legs and long tails used for balance when running. Yet, the saber-toothed cat was not very good at chasing down prey. Its heavy, bulky body, short legs, and bobbed tail made it better suited for ambush attacks. It would use its powerful, front legs to grab and hold prey. Then it could use its saber-like teeth, which were like a steak knife. The saber-toothed cat would slash at its prey’s belly or throat before retreating and waiting for the unlucky animal to die. The saber-toothed cat mostly hunted large, slow-moving animals, like sloths, and even young mammoths or possibly even humans.
This ambush hunting style helped saber-toothed cats survive throughout the Americas. They spread from coast to coast, from southern Canada all the way to Peru. They even lived here at White Sands. Before the sand dunes existed. The Tularosa Basin was home to an enormous lake called Lake Otero. This lake attracted many Ice Age mammals, such as sloths, mammoths, camels, and, of course, saber-toothed cats. These formidable hunters left their mark quite literally here at White Sands. Today we find fossilized footprints of these impressive animals.
References
Lange, Ian M. Ice Age Mammals of North America: A Guide to the Big, the Hairy, and the Bizarre. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2002.
Polly, David. “Fossils: Saber-toothed Cats.” Indiana Geological Survey. Accessed June 28, 2015. http://igs.indiana.edu/FossilsAndTime/Sabertooth.cfm
“What is a Sabertooth?” University of California Museum of Paleontology. Last updated September 28, 2005.
