Extinct Smilodon
Priscilla Villa
Mr. McKenzie
Biology-HP, Period 0
April 20,2013
Extinct smilodon
When it comes to animals, we often get generalized descriptions. Where a creature lives, what color it is, what it eats, and other pieces of information are listed to distinguish one species from another. If you study any species in detail, it becomes apparent that individuals differ over space and through time. It is also more noticeable that sometimes there is not always a straight answer about everything. When you look up the smilodon, or the saber-toothed cat, scientists are not sure about how they attacked, when they went extinct or even what they ate. The answers vary from question to question.
The smildon, also known as the saber-toothed cat, is an animal that went extinct about 10,000 to 13,000 years ago. Some people say the smilodon is not closely related to any living cat but evolved from a puma-like ancestor. Sabertooths ranged widely throughout North and South America around the late Pliocene epoch to the late Pleistocene epoch, between about 2.5 million years ago and 10,000 years ago and are related to modern cats. However, no real descendants of the saber tooth cat are alive today. They were stouter than modern lions but almost twice as heavy. Some people also refer to the smilodon as the saber-toothed tiger, but that is incorrect since they were nothing alike. Enchanted Learning states "It was about 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) long and 3 feet (0.9 m) tall and it weighed about 440 lbs. (200 kg). It was a bit smaller than the modern-day lion (Panthera leo), but much heavier.
The smilodons can be divided up into three different categories: Smilodon gracilis; the Smilodon fatalis; and the Smilodon populator. The smilodon gracilis evolved 2.5 million years ago and went extinct about 500,00 years ago. The smilodon fatalis lasted from about 1.6 million years ago to 10,000 years ago. The smilodon populator only lasted from a million years ago to 10,000 years ago.
Mr. McKenzie
Biology-HP, Period 0
April 20,2013
Extinct smilodon
When it comes to animals, we often get generalized descriptions. Where a creature lives, what color it is, what it eats, and other pieces of information are listed to distinguish one species from another. If you study any species in detail, it becomes apparent that individuals differ over space and through time. It is also more noticeable that sometimes there is not always a straight answer about everything. When you look up the smilodon, or the saber-toothed cat, scientists are not sure about how they attacked, when they went extinct or even what they ate. The answers vary from question to question.
The smildon, also known as the saber-toothed cat, is an animal that went extinct about 10,000 to 13,000 years ago. Some people say the smilodon is not closely related to any living cat but evolved from a puma-like ancestor. Sabertooths ranged widely throughout North and South America around the late Pliocene epoch to the late Pleistocene epoch, between about 2.5 million years ago and 10,000 years ago and are related to modern cats. However, no real descendants of the saber tooth cat are alive today. They were stouter than modern lions but almost twice as heavy. Some people also refer to the smilodon as the saber-toothed tiger, but that is incorrect since they were nothing alike. Enchanted Learning states "It was about 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) long and 3 feet (0.9 m) tall and it weighed about 440 lbs. (200 kg). It was a bit smaller than the modern-day lion (Panthera leo), but much heavier.
The smilodons can be divided up into three different categories: Smilodon gracilis; the Smilodon fatalis; and the Smilodon populator. The smilodon gracilis evolved 2.5 million years ago and went extinct about 500,00 years ago. The smilodon fatalis lasted from about 1.6 million years ago to 10,000 years ago. The smilodon populator only lasted from a million years ago to 10,000 years ago.
Cited: Barnett, Ross. “Evolution of the extinct Sabretooths and then American cheetah-like cat “ Current Biology. Web. 2005. 20 April 2013. <http://www.cell.com/current-biology/retrieve/pii/S0960982205008365> Hecht, Jeff. “Sabre-tooth cat had a surprisingly delicate bite” New Scientist Life Web. 01 October 2007. 20 April 2013. <http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12712-sabretooth-cat-had-a-surprisingly-delicate-bite.html>> Biederman, Patricia. “Tar-Pit Bones Show Ailments of Extinct Cats” Los Angeles Times 11 June 1989. 20 April 2013. <http://articles.latimes.com/1989-06-11/news/we-2965_1_saber-toothed-cat-tar-pits-george-c-page-museum>> Cade, Octavia. “Sabre-tooth tiger was pack hunter” COSMOS the science of everything Web. 11 November 2008. 20 April 2013. <http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/sabre-tooth-tiger-was-pack-hunter/ Gyssler, Garrett. The Smilodon Web. 20 April 2013. <http://geology.fullerton.edu/whenderson/F2007201/smilodon/index.html Staggs, Dina. “What Is A Saber Tooth Tiger?” eHow Web. 20 April 2013. <http://www.ehow.com/about_6599360_saber-tooth-tiger_. Html