SABER
TOOTH CAT Smilidon
This classic saber tooth cat (or Smilidon) roamed
North America (California) and South America (Argentina). It had a
short tail, much like the bobcats of today. Its huge pair of teeth
on the upper jaw were serrated along their back edges, this
allowed it to easily pierce the flesh of its prey more easily.
With its muscular shoulders and neck, it most likely feed on slow
moving large prey in which it could sink its large teeth into.
Large numbers of skeletons have been found in the Pleistocene tar
pits of Rancho La Brea in Los Angeles. This species, called S.
californicus, has been adopted as California's state fossil.
TIME
- Late Pleistocene period
RANGE - North
America / South America
DIET - Carnivore
(meat eater)
SIZE - 4ft
(1.2m) long
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