Smilodon
Ice Age predator
Smilodon is an extinct genus of large cat known for its enormous curved canine teeth, commonly called the saber-toothed tiger or saber-toothed cat.
These predators lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene epoch and went extinct roughly 10,000 years ago.
The La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles have yielded thousands of Smilodon fossils.
Taxonomic cat family
- saber-toothed catExtinct long-fanged felid
- convergent evolutionIndependent origin of similar features
- cladisticsClassification by common descent
- speciationFormation of distinct species
Ancient glacial geological period
- glacierSlow-moving ice mass
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- woolly mammothExtinct hairy elephant species
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
dire wolf · giant sloth · cave bear · tundra · permafrost · Beringia · steppe · glacial period
Surprise strike from concealment
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- saber teethOversized predator canines
- caninesDog family members
- preyAnimal being hunted
stalking · pounce · apex predator · hunting · pack hunting · bison · horse · camelid
Extinct elephant with curved tusks
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
- giant slothExtinct oversized tree-stripper
- ground slothExtinct large terrestrial edentate
- glyptodonExtinct armored ice-age mammal
Preserved ancient organism
- excavationAct of unearthing
- La Brea Tar PitsNatural asphalt fossil site
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
paleobiology · dig site · sediment · carbon dating · geologic time · Cenozoic · quaternary · morphology
Felidae
Taxonomic cat family
- saber-toothed catExtinct long-fanged felid
- convergent evolutionIndependent origin of similar features
- cladisticsClassification by common descent
Pleistocene
Ancient glacial geological period
- glacierSlow-moving ice mass
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- woolly mammothExtinct hairy elephant species
mastodon · dire wolf · giant sloth · cave bear · tundra · permafrost · Beringia · steppe · glacial period · interglacial
ambush
Surprise strike from concealment
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
- saber teethOversized predator canines
- caninesDog family members
prey · stalking · pounce · apex predator · hunting · pack hunting · bison · horse · camelid · territorial
mammoth
Extinct elephant with curved tusks
- mastodonExtinct elephantine Pleistocene mammal
- giant slothExtinct oversized tree-stripper
- ground slothExtinct large terrestrial edentate
glyptodon · woolly rhinoceros · dire wolf · cave bear · aurochs
fossil
Preserved ancient organism
- excavationAct of unearthing
- La Brea Tar PitsNatural asphalt fossil site
- PleistoceneAncient glacial geological period
stratigraphy · paleobiology · dig site · sediment · carbon dating · geologic time · Cenozoic · quaternary · morphology · phylogeny
saber teeth
Oversized predator canines
robust · skull · jaw · gape · serrated · retractable claws · vertebrae · stocky · short tail · mandible
Smilodonmammoth
Extinct elephant with curved tusks
mastodon · ground sloth · woolly rhinoceros · grazer · browser
Smilodoncrocodilian
Order of large reptiles
shark · horseshoe crab · cockroach · living fossil · coelacanth