Smilodon
| Smilodon Conservation status: Fossil
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Smilodon (Greek: "Knife-Tooth") is an extinct genus of large machairodontine saber-toothed cats that are understood to have lived between approximately 3 million to 10,000 years ago in North and South America. They are the only known successors to Machairodus. Smilodon means knife tooth, an entirely appropriate name given its enormous fangs. The smilodon species are also known as Saber-Toothed Cats (which is inaccurate because there are other, unrelated saber-toothed "cats") or Saber-Toothed Tigers (which is inaccurate, as they were not tigers)[1].
As many as five species of Smilodon were known to have existed:
- Smilodon fatalis, 1.6 million-10,000 years ago
- Smilodon gracilis, 2.5 million-500,000 years ago
- Smilodon populator, 1 million-10,000 years ago
- Smilodon californicus and Smilodon floridus may be a subspecies of Smilodon fatalis.
A fully-grown Smilodon weighed approximately 200 kilograms (450 pounds) and had a short tail, powerful legs and a large head. About the size of a lion, smilodon was extremely powerful. Its jaws could open 65 degrees. Its fangs were about 17 cm (7 inches) long.
Many Smilodon fossils have been unearthed at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, which is why it is the prehistoric cat researchers know the most about.
Smilodons in pop culture
- The smilodon, or the Saber-Toothed Cat, is the power source of Trini Kwan and Aisha Campbell in the television series "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers".
- The Saber-Toothed Cat was also the inspiration for the logo of the Nashville Predators hockey team, after a saber tooth of one was found beneath the site of Amsouth Center during an excavation.
- Baby Pussy was the Saber-Toothed Cat that Fred Flintstone would "put out for the night" during the closing credits of The Flintstones.
