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81-559: David Forman is an English actor, stuntman, puppeteer and internet entrepreneur who has played several suit roles in Jim Henson's Creature Shop , notably as the character of Leonardo in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film (1990). He also served as a stunt performer for The Bear (1988), The NeverEnding Story III (1994), The Flintstones (1994) and Muppet Treasure Island (1996). Forman represented England on
162-454: A Smilodon suffering hip dysplasia at a young age that survived to adulthood suggests that it could not have survived to adulthood without aid from a social group, as this individual was unable to hunt or defend its territory due to the severity of its congenital issue. The brain of Smilodon was relatively small compared to other cat species. Some researchers have argued that Smilodon 's brain would have been too small for it to have been
243-551: A domestic cat . This indicates that S. fatalis used less olfaction for its daily activities than modern felids. Many Smilodon specimens have been excavated from asphalt seeps that acted as natural carnivore traps. Animals were accidentally trapped in the seeps and became bait for predators that came to scavenge, but these were then trapped themselves. The best-known of such traps are at La Brea in Los Angeles, which have produced over 166,000 Smilodon fatalis specimens that form
324-424: A bite only a third as strong as that of a lion (the bite force quotient measured for the lion is 112). There seems to be a general rule that the saber-toothed cats with the largest canines had proportionally weaker bites. Analyses of canine bending strength (the ability of the canine teeth to resist bending forces without breaking) and bite forces indicate that the saber-toothed cats' teeth were stronger relative to
405-502: A carcass of meat when feeding without being hindered by their long canines. Despite being more powerfully built than other large cats, Smilodon had a weaker bite. Modern big cats have more pronounced zygomatic arches , while these were smaller in Smilodon , which restricted the thickness and therefore power of the temporalis muscles and thus reduced Smilodon ' s bite force. Analysis of its narrow jaws indicates that it could produce
486-457: A folded orbicularis oris muscle , and such a muscle arrangement exists in modern large felids. Antón stated that extant phylogenetic bracketing (where the features of the closest extant relatives of a fossil taxon are used as reference) is the most reliable way of restoring the life-appearance of prehistoric animals, and the cat-like Smilodon restorations by Knight are therefore still accurate. A 2022 study by Antón and colleagues concluded that
567-416: A reduced lumbar region , high scapula , short tail, and broad limbs with relatively short feet. Smilodon is most famous for its relatively long canine teeth, which are the longest found in the saber-toothed cats, at about 28 cm (11 in) long in the largest species, S. populator . The canines were slender and had fine serrations on the front and back side. The skull was robustly proportioned and
648-706: A shoulder height of 100 cm (39 in) and body length of 175 cm (69 in). It was similar to a lion in dimensions, but was more robust and muscular, and therefore had a larger body mass. Its skull was also similar to that of Megantereon , though more massive and with larger canines. S. populator was among the largest known felids , with a body mass range from 220 kg (490 lb) to over 400 kg (880 lb), and one estimate suggesting up to 470 kg (1,040 lb). A particularly large S. populator skull from Uruguay measuring 39.2 cm (15.4 in) in length indicates this individual may have weighed as much as 436 kg (961 lb). It stood at
729-553: A shoulder height of 120 cm (47 in). Compared to S. fatalis , S. populator was more robust and had a more elongated and narrow skull with a straighter upper profile, higher positioned nasal bones , a more vertical occiput , more massive metapodials and slightly longer forelimbs relative to hindlimbs. Large fossil tracks from Argentina (for which the ichnotaxon name Smilodonichium has been proposed) have been attributed to S. populator , and measure 17.6 cm (6.9 in) by 19.2 cm (7.6 in). This
810-553: A similar scenario, and have also produced fossils of Smilodon . Unlike in La Brea, many of the bones were broken or show signs of weathering. This may have been because the layers were shallower, so the thrashing of trapped animals damaged the bones of previously trapped animals. Many of the carnivores at Talara were juveniles, possibly indicating that inexperienced and less fit animals had a greater chance of being trapped. Though Lund thought accumulations of Smilodon and herbivore fossils in
891-431: A social animal. An analysis of brain size in living big cats found no correlation between brain size and sociality. Another argument against Smilodon being social is that being an ambush hunter in closed habitat would likely have made group-living unnecessary, as in most modern cats. Yet it has also been proposed that being the largest predator in an environment comparable to the savanna of Africa, Smilodon may have had
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#1732838296881972-630: A social structure similar to modern lions, which possibly live in groups primarily to defend optimal territory from other lions (lions are the only social big cats today). Whether Smilodon was sexually dimorphic has implications for its reproductive behavior. Based on their conclusions that Smilodon fatalis had no sexual dimorphism, Van Valkenburgh and Sacco suggested in 2002 that, if the cats were social, they would likely have lived in monogamous pairs (along with offspring) with no intense competition among males for females. Likewise, Meachen-Samuels and Binder concluded in 2010 that aggression between males
1053-454: A stabbing canine-shear bite, whereas the latter had more trabecular bone and used a clamp and hold style more similar to lions. The two would therefore have held distinct ecological niches. By finding of correlation between relative cribriform plate size and repertoire of functional olfactory receptor genes, it was found that S. fatalis had a slightly smaller repertoire than modern felids with 600 olfatory receptor genes, compared to 677 of
1134-498: A straight line across. The p3 premolar tooth of the mandible was present in most early specimens, but lost in later specimens; it was only present in 6% of the La Brea sample. There is some dispute over whether Smilodon was sexually dimorphic . Some studies of S. fatalis fossils have found little difference between the sexes. Conversely, a 2012 study found that, while fossils of S. fatalis show less variation in size among individuals than modern Panthera , they do appear to show
1215-487: A typical cat and similar to a bulldog , with a lower lip line (to allow its mouth to open wide without tearing the facial tissues), a more retracted nose and lower-placed ears. Paleoartist Mauricio Antón and coauthors disputed this in 1998 and maintained that the facial features of Smilodon were overall not very different from those of other cats. Antón noted that modern animals like the hippopotamus are able to open their mouths extremely wide without tearing tissue due to
1296-429: A weight of 160 to 280 kg (350 to 620 lb) and height of 100 cm (39 in). Both of these species are mainly known from North America , but remains from South America have also been attributed to them (primarily from the northwest of the continent). S. populator from South America was the largest species, at 220 to 436 kg (485 to 961 lb) in weight and 120 cm (47 in) in height, and
1377-585: Is S. gracilis , which existed from 2.5 million to 500,000 years ago (early Blancan to Irvingtonian ages) and was the successor in North America of Megantereon , from which it probably evolved. Megantereon itself had entered North America from Eurasia during the Pliocene , along with Homotherium . S. gracilis reached the northern regions of South America in the Early Pleistocene as part of
1458-587: Is larger than tracks of the Bengal tiger , to which the footprints have been compared. Smilodon and other saber-toothed cats have been reconstructed with both plain-colored coats and with spotted patterns (which appears to be the ancestral condition for feliforms ), both of which are considered possible. Studies of modern cat species have found that species that live in the open tend to have uniform coats while those that live in more vegetated habitats have more markings, with some exceptions. Some coat features, such as
1539-467: Is not supported today as no modern terrestrial mammals are pure scavengers. The brain of Smilodon had sulcal patterns similar to modern cats, which suggests an increased complexity of the regions that control the sense of hearing, sight, and coordination of the limbs. Felid saber-tooths in general had relatively small eyes that were not as forward-facing as those of modern cats, which have good binocular vision to help them move in trees. Smilodon
1620-536: Is still one of the best-known members of the group, to the point where the two concepts have been confused. The term " saber-tooth " itself refers to an ecomorph consisting of various groups of extinct predatory synapsids (mammals and close relatives), which convergently evolved extremely long maxillary canines , as well as adaptations to the skull and skeleton related to their use. This includes members of Gorgonopsia , Thylacosmilidae , Machaeroidinae , Nimravidae , Barbourofelidae , and Machairodontinae . Within
1701-423: Is unclear in what manner the bite itself was delivered. Scientists debate whether Smilodon had a social or a solitary lifestyle; analysis of modern predator behavior as well as of Smilodon ' s fossil remains could be construed to lend support to either view. Smilodon probably lived in closed habitats such as forests and bush , which would have provided cover for ambushing prey. Smilodon died out as part of
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#17328382968811782-546: The Ancient Greek meaning of Smilodon as σμίλη ( smilē ), "scalpel" or "two-edged knife", and οδόντος ( odóntos ), "tooth". This has also been translated as "tooth shaped like double-edged knife". He explained the species name populator as "the destroyer", which has also been translated as "he who brings devastation". Lund based the name on the shape of the incisors, and the large canine teeth were not known until 1846. By 1846, Lund had acquired nearly every part of
1863-586: The F. fatalis molar was identical to that of Smilodon , and he proposed the new combination S. fatalis . Most North American finds were scanty until excavations began in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles , where hundreds of individuals of S. fatalis have been found since 1875. S. fatalis has junior synonyms such as S. mercerii , S. floridanus , and S. californicus . American paleontologist Annalisa Berta considered
1944-486: The Great American Interchange . S. fatalis existed 1.6 million–10,000 years ago (late Irvingtonian to Rancholabrean ages), and replaced S. gracilis in North America. S. populator existed 1 million–10,000 years ago ( Ensenadan to Lujanian ages); it occurred in the eastern parts of South America. Smilodon was around the size of modern big cats , but was more robustly built. It had
2025-502: The Oligocene of Europe, such as Proailurus , and the earliest one with saber-tooth features is the Miocene genus Pseudaelurus . The skull and mandible morphology of the earliest saber-toothed cats was similar to that of the modern clouded leopards ( Neofelis ). The lineage further adapted to the precision killing of large animals by developing elongated canine teeth and wider gapes, in
2106-508: The Rancho La Brea area was likely comparable to modern East Africa . As Smilodon migrated to South America, its diet changed; bison were absent, the horses and proboscideans were different, and native ungulates such as toxodonts and litopterns were completely unfamiliar, yet S. populator thrived as well there as its relatives in North America. Isotopic analysis for S. populator suggests that its main prey species included
2187-485: The distress calls of prey than solitary species. Since S. fatalis fossils are common at the La Brea Tar Pits, and were likely attracted by the distress calls of stuck prey, this could mean that this species was social as well. One critical study claims that the study neglects other factors, such as body mass (heavier animals are more likely to get stuck than lighter ones), intelligence (some social animals, like
2268-467: The end-Pleistocene extinction event around 13-10,000 years ago, along with most other large animals across the Americas. Its reliance on large animals has been proposed as the cause of its extinction. Smilodon may have been impacted by habitat turnover and loss of prey it specialized on due to possible climatic impacts, the effects of recently arrived humans on prey populations, and other factors. During
2349-419: The muzzle was short and broad. The cheek bones (zygomata) were deep and widely arched, the sagittal crest was prominent, and the frontal region was slightly convex. The mandible had a flange on each side of the front. The upper incisors were large, sharp, and slanted forwards. There was a diastema (gap) between the incisors and molars of the mandible. The lower incisors were broad, recurved, and placed in
2430-414: The 1830s, Danish naturalist Peter Wilhelm Lund and his assistants collected fossils in the calcareous caves near the small town of Lagoa Santa, Minas Gerais , Brazil. Among the thousands of fossils found, he recognized a few isolated cheek teeth as belonging to a hyena , which he named Hyaena neogaea in 1839. After more material was found (including incisor teeth and foot bones), Lund concluded
2511-527: The American lion, may have avoided the tar because they were better able to recognize the hazard), lack of visual and olfactory lures, the type of audio lure, and the length of the distress calls (the actual distress calls of the trapped prey animals would have lasted longer than the calls used in the study). The author of that study ponders what predators would have responded if the recordings were played in India, where
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2592-506: The Lagoa Santa Caves were due to the cats using the caves as dens, these are probably the result of animals dying on the surface, and water currents subsequently dragging their bones to the floor of the cave, but some individuals may also have died after becoming lost in the caves. Scientists debate whether Smilodon was social . One study of African predators found that social predators like lions and spotted hyenas respond more to
2673-1177: The Machairodontinae diverged early from the ancestors of living cats and were not closely related to any living species. The ancestors of living cats and Machairodontinae estimated to have diverged around 20 million years ago. The following cladogram based on fossils and DNA analysis shows the placement of Smilodon among extinct and extant felids, after Rincón and colleagues, 2011: Proailurus Pseudaelurus Panthera (tigers, lions, jaguars, and leopards) [REDACTED] Caracal [REDACTED] Leopardus ( ocelot and relatives) [REDACTED] Felis ( domestic cats and relatives) [REDACTED] Herpailurus (jaguarundi) [REDACTED] Miracinonyx [REDACTED] Puma (cougar) [REDACTED] Dinofelis [REDACTED] Nimravides Machairodus [REDACTED] Homotherium [REDACTED] Xenosmilus [REDACTED] Paramachairodus Megantereon Smilodon gracilis [REDACTED] Smilodon populator [REDACTED] Smilodon fatalis [REDACTED] The earliest felids are known from
2754-453: The North and South American species may be due to the difference in prey between the two continents. Smilodon may have avoided eating bone and would have left enough food for scavengers. Coprolites assigned to S. populator recovered from Argentina preserve osteoderms from the ground sloth Mylodon and a Lama scaphoid bone. In addition to this unambiguous evidence of bone consumption,
2835-570: The Polar Bear for Coca-Cola , Tony the Tiger , Shrek , Tommy and Chuckie from Rugrats , the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , and the animatronics from Five Nights at Freddy’s . Smilodon Smilodon is an extinct genus of felids . It is one of the best known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric mammals. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger , it
2916-450: The belly of its prey. This is disputed, as the curvature of their prey's belly would likely have prevented the cat from getting a good bite or stab. In regard to how Smilodon delivered its bite, the "canine shear-bite" hypothesis has been favored, where flexion of the neck and rotation of the skull assisted in biting the prey, but this may be mechanically impossible. However, evidence from comparisons with Homotherium suggest that Smilodon
2997-439: The bite force than those of modern big cats. In addition, Smilodon 's gape could have reached over 110 degrees, while that of the modern lion reaches 65 degrees. This made the gape wide enough to allow Smilodon to grasp large prey despite the long canines. A 2018 study compared the killing behavior of Smilodon fatalis and Homotherium serum , and found that the former had a strong skull with little trabecular bone for
3078-484: The camel like litoptern ungulate Macrauchenia , the rhinoceros-like ungulate Toxodon platensis , the large armadillo relatives Pachyarmatherium , Holmesina , species of the glyptodont genus Panochthus , the llama Palaeolama , the ground sloth Catonyx , and the equine Equus neogeus , and the crocodilian Caiman latirostris . This analysis of its diet also indicates that S. populator hunted both in open and forested habitats. The differences between
3159-472: The canine to be distinct from that of the other Smilodon species due to its smaller size and more compressed base. Its specific name refers to the species' lighter build. This species is known from fewer and less complete remains than the other members of the genus. S. gracilis has at times been considered part of genera such as Megantereon and Ischyrosmilus . S. populator , S. fatalis and S. gracilis are currently considered
3240-432: The canines of another Smilodon (though it cannot be ruled out they were caused by kicking prey). If caused by intraspecific fighting, it may also indicate that they had social behavior which could lead to death, as seen in some modern felines (as well as indicating that the canines could penetrate bone). It has been suggested that the exaggerated canines of saber-toothed cats evolved for sexual display and competition, but
3321-428: The colloquial name "saber-toothed tiger", Smilodon is not closely related to the modern tiger (which belongs in the subfamily Pantherinae ), or any other extant felid. A 1992 ancient DNA analysis suggested that Smilodon should be grouped with modern cats (subfamilies Felinae and Pantherinae). A 2005 study found that Smilodon belonged to a separate lineage. A study published in 2006 confirmed this, showing that
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3402-401: The coprolites suggest that Smilodon had a more generalist diet than previously thought. Examinations of dental microwear from La Brea further suggests that Smilodon consumed both flesh and bone. Smilodon itself may have scavenged dire wolf kills. It has been suggested that Smilodon was a pure scavenger that used its canines for display to assert dominance over carcasses, but this theory
3483-519: The course of the Pleistocene, by the Late Pleistocene , only two genera of machairodonts remained, Smilodon , and the distantly related Homotherium , both largely confined to the Americas. Based on mitochondrial DNA sequences extracted from ancient bones , the lineages of Homotherium and Smilodon are estimated to have diverged about 18 million years ago. The earliest species of Smilodon
3564-412: The cross-sections of S. fatalis humeri indicated that they were strengthened by cortical thickening to such an extent that they would have been able to sustain greater loading than those of extant big cats, or of the extinct American lion. The humerus cortical wall in S. fatalis was a 15 % thicker than excpected in modern big cats of similar size. The thickening of S. fatalis femurs
3645-697: The family Felidae (true cats), members of the subfamily Machairodontinae are referred to as saber-toothed cats, and this group is itself divided into three tribes : Metailurini (false saber-tooths); Homotherini ( scimitar -toothed cats); and Smilodontini ( dirk -toothed cats), to which Smilodon belongs. Members of Smilodontini are defined by their long slender canines with fine to no serrations , whereas Homotherini are typified by shorter, broad, and more flattened canines, with coarser serrations. Members of Metailurini were less specialized and had shorter, less flattened canines, and are not recognized as members of Machairodontinae by some researchers. Despite
3726-411: The fossils instead belonged to a distinct genus of felids, though transitional to the hyenas. He stated it would have matched the largest modern predators in size, and was more robust than any modern cat. Lund originally wanted to call the new genus Hyaenodon , but realizing this name had recently been applied to another prehistoric predator, he instead named it Smilodon populator in 1842. He explained
3807-509: The front incisors between the canines, the animals do not need to gape widely, so the canines of Smilodon would likewise not have been a hindrance when feeding. A study published in 2022 of how machairodonts fed revealed that wear patterns on the teeth of S. fatalis also suggest that it was capable of eating bone to a similar extent as lions. This and comparisons with bite marks left by the contemporary machairodont Xenosmilus suggest that Smilodon and its relatives could efficiently de-flesh
3888-436: The holotype of S. fatalis too incomplete to be an adequate type specimen, and the species has at times been proposed to be a junior synonym of S. populator . Nordic paleontologists Björn Kurtén and Lars Werdelin supported the distinctness of the two species in an article published in 1990. A 2018 article by the American paleontologist John P. Babiarz and colleagues concluded that S. californicus , represented by
3969-419: The improved senses would have helped the cats' precision when biting outside their field of vision, and thereby prevent breakage of the canines. The blade-like carnassial teeth were used to cut skin to access the meat, and the reduced molars suggest that they were less adapted for crushing bones than modern cats. As the food of modern cats enters the mouth through the side while cutting with the carnassials, not
4050-461: The largest collection in the world. The sediments of the pits there were accumulated 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, in the Late Pleistocene . Though the trapped animals were buried quickly, predators often managed to remove limb bones from them, but they were themselves often trapped and then scavenged by other predators; 90% of the excavated bones belonged to predators. The Talara Tar Seeps in Peru represent
4131-448: The largest collection of Smilodon fossils. Overall, Smilodon was more robustly built than any extant cat, with particularly well-developed forelimbs and exceptionally long upper canine teeth . Its jaw had a bigger gape than that of modern cats, and its upper canines were slender and fragile, being adapted for precision killing. S. gracilis was the smallest species at 55 to 100 kg (121 to 220 lb) in weight. S. fatalis had
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#17328382968814212-458: The mandible was pulled against the hide of a prey animal. It has been experimentally proven by means of a machine that recreates the teeth, and simulates the movements of jaws and neck of Smilodon fatalis (The "Robocat") on bison and elk carcasses, that the stabbing bite to the throat is a much more plausible and practical killing technique than the stabbing bite to the belly. The protruding incisors were arranged in an arch, and were used to hold
4293-448: The manes of male lions or the stripes of the tiger, are too unusual to predict from fossils. Traditionally, saber-toothed cats have been artistically restored with external features similar to those of extant felids, by artists such as Charles R. Knight in collaboration with various paleontologists in the early 20th century. In 1969, paleontologist G. J. Miller instead proposed that Smilodon would have looked very different from
4374-469: The modern American bison ) and camels ( Camelops ) were most commonly taken by the cats there. Smilodon fatalis may have also occasionally preyed upon Glyptotherium , based on a skull from a juvenile Glyptotherium texanum recovered from Pleistocene deposits in Arizona that bear the distinctive elliptical puncture marks best matching those of Smilodon , indicating that the predator successfully bit into
4455-464: The new Doctor Who series. Jim Henson%27s Creature Shop Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a British-American animation and special effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson , creator of The Muppets . The company is based in Hollywood, California , United States. Jim Henson's Creature Shop was originally created as a partnership with British illustrator Brian Froud to facilitate
4536-402: The only valid species of Smilodon , and features used to define most of their junior synonyms have been dismissed as variation between individuals of the same species (intraspecific variation). One of the most famous of prehistoric mammals, Smilodon has often been featured in popular media and is the state fossil of California. Long the most completely known saber-toothed cat , Smilodon
4617-440: The otherwise solitary tigers are known to aggregate around a single carcass. The authors of the original study responded that though effects of the calls in the tar pits and the playback experiments would not be identical, this would not be enough to overturn their conclusions. In addition, they stated that weight and intelligence would not likely affect the results as lighter carnivores are far more numerous than heavy herbivores and
4698-427: The prey still and stabilize it while the canine bite was delivered. The contact surface between the canine crown and the gum was enlarged, which helped stabilize the tooth and helped the cat sense when the tooth had penetrated to its maximum extent. Since saber-toothed cats generally had a relatively large infraorbital foramen (opening) in the skull, which housed nerves associated with the whiskers, it has been suggested
4779-510: The process sacrificing high bite force . As their canines became longer, the bodies of the cats became more robust for immobilizing prey. In derived smilodontins and homotherins, the lumbar region of the spine and the tail became shortened, as did the hind limbs. Machairodonts once represented a dominant group of felids distributed across Africa, Eurasia and the North America during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, but progressively declined over
4860-644: The production of The Dark Crystal . Originally located in Hampstead , London, it received its name in order to differentiate it from Henson's original puppet workshop in New York City. It was then used for future productions such as Labyrinth and The StoryTeller . It was relocated to Camden Town following Henson's death in 1990 and his son, Brian Henson , took over. A third location in Burbank, California opened to serve Hollywood, and one of its first projects
4941-586: The puppets in Sesame Street . The Los Angeles branch creates more realistic animatronic creatures and creature suits . The location at Camden Town, London closed in Spring 2005, and was converted into a luxury apartment known as The Henson. In addition to practical effects , the shop also specializes in " digital puppetry ", a form of computer animation that controls a digital avatar using manual puppet controls to animate them more quickly and easily than if it
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#17328382968815022-481: The same difference between the sexes in some traits. S. gracilis was the smallest species, estimated at 55 to 100 kg (121 to 220 lb) in weight, about the size of a jaguar . It was similar to its predecessor Megantereon of the same size, but its dentition and skull were more advanced, approaching S. fatalis . S. fatalis was intermediate in size between S. gracilis and S. populator . It ranged from 160 to 280 kg (350 to 620 lb). and reached
5103-621: The second half of the 19th century onwards. In 1869, American paleontologist Joseph Leidy described a maxilla fragment with a molar , which had been discovered in a petroleum bed in Hardin County, Texas . He referred the specimen to the genus Felis (which was then used for most cats, extant as well as extinct) but found it distinct enough to be part of its own subgenus , as F. ( Trucifelis ) fatalis . The species name means "deadly". In an 1880 article about extinct American cats, American paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope pointed out that
5184-726: The skeleton (from different individuals), and more specimens were found in neighboring countries by other collectors in the following years. Though some later authors used Lund's original species name neogaea instead of populator , it is now considered an invalid nomen nudum , as it was not accompanied with a proper description and no type specimens were designated. Some South American specimens have been referred to other genera, subgenera, species, and subspecies , such as Smilodontidion riggii , Smilodon ( Prosmilodon ) ensenadensis , and S. bonaeriensis , but these are now thought to be junior synonyms of S. populator . Fossils of Smilodon were discovered in North America from
5265-450: The skull through the glyptodont's armored cephalic shield. In addition, isotopes preserved in the tooth enamel of S. gracilis specimens from Florida show that this species fed on the peccary Platygonus and the llama -like Hemiauchenia . Stable carbon isotope measurements of S. gracilis remains in Florida varied significantly between different sites and show that the species
5346-416: The social (and seemingly intelligent) dire wolf is also found in the pits. Another argument for sociality is based on the healed injuries in several Smilodon fossils, which would suggest that the animals needed others to provide them food. This argument has been questioned, as cats can recover quickly from even severe bone damage and an injured Smilodon could survive if it had access to water. However,
5427-596: The specimens from the La Brea Tar Pits, was a distinct species from S. fatalis after all and that more research is needed to clarify the taxonomy of the lineage. In his 1880 article about extinct cats, Cope also named a third species of Smilodon , S. gracilis . The species was based on a partial canine, which had been obtained in the Port Kennedy Cave near the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania. Cope found
5508-461: The tracks indicate that the animal had fully retractible claws, plantigrade feet, lacked strong supination capabilities in its paws, notably robust forelimbs compared to the hindlimbs, and was probably an ambush predator. The heel bone of Smilodon was fairly long, which suggests it was a good jumper. Its well-developed flexor and extensor muscles in its forearms probably enabled it to pull down, and securely hold down, large prey. Analysis of
5589-854: The tumbling squad of the 1980 World Games . Soon after, he was introduced to Rick Baker , who hired him to play an ape in Greystoke (1984). He had also appeared, sans suit, in such films as Nuns on the Run (1990) (with Robbie Coltrane ) and Empire State (1987) (with Martin Landau ). Forman has also appeared on television, notably in The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes episode The Creeping Man . Stunt credits include work on Spies Like Us (1985), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) and The World Is Not Enough (1999). More recently, he served as fight arranger on Batman Begins (2005) and stunt coordinator for
5670-400: The upper canines of Smilodon would have been visible when the mouth was closed, while those of Homotherium would have not, after examining fossils and extant big cats. An apex predator , Smilodon primarily hunted large mammals. Isotopes preserved in the bones of S. fatalis in the La Brea Tar Pits reveal that ruminants like bison ( Bison antiquus , which was much larger than
5751-513: Was among the largest known felids. The coat pattern of Smilodon is unknown, but it has been artistically restored with plain or spotted patterns. In North America, Smilodon hunted large herbivores such as bison and camels , and it remained successful even when encountering new prey taxa in South America such as Macrauchenia . Smilodon is thought to have killed its prey by holding it still with its forelimbs and biting it, but it
5832-642: Was entirely digital. This is known as the "Henson Digital Puppetry Studio" and is used extensively in television, including the entirety of the series Sid the Science Kid . Besides films, the Creature Shop has created costumes for live events and theme park appearances. They created a realistic Smilodon "full-suit puppet" for a show at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County , which cost more than $ 100,000. Some of their other costumes include
5913-498: Was flexible in its feeding habits. Isotopic studies of dire wolf ( Aenocyon dirus ) and American lion ( Panthera atrox ) bones show an overlap with S. fatalis in prey, which suggests that they were competitors. More detailed isotope analysis however, indicates that Smilodon fatalis preferred forest-dwelling prey such as tapirs, deer and forest-dwelling bison as opposed to the dire wolves' preferences for prey inhabiting open areas such as grassland. The availability of prey in
5994-524: Was fully capable of and utilized the canine shear-bite as its primary means of killing prey, based on the fact that it had a thick skull and relatively little trabecular bone, while Homotherium had both more trabecular bone and a more lion-like clamping bite as its primary means of attacking prey. The discovery, made by Figueirido and Lautenschlager et al., published in 2018 suggests extremely different ecological adaptations in both machairodonts. The mandibular flanges may have helped resist bending forces when
6075-520: Was less pronounced in S. fatalis than in the American lion. Christiansen and Harris found in 2012 that, as S. fatalis did exhibit some sexual dimorphism, there would have been evolutionary selection for competition between males. Some bones show evidence of having been bitten by other Smilodon , possibly the result of territorial battles, competition for breeding rights or over prey. Two S. populator skulls from Argentina show seemingly fatal, unhealed wounds which appear to have been caused by
6156-555: Was likely an ambush predator that concealed itself in dense vegetation, as its limb proportions were similar to modern forest-dwelling cats, and its short tail would not have helped it balance while running. Unlike its ancestor Megantereon , which was at least partially scansorial and therefore able to climb trees, Smilodon was probably completely terrestrial due to its greater weight and lack of climbing adaptations. Tracks from Argentina named Felipeda miramarensis in 2019 may have been produced by Smilodon . If correctly identified,
6237-429: Was named in 1842 based on fossils from Brazil; the generic name means "scalpel" or "two-edged knife" combined with "tooth". Three species are recognized today: S. gracilis , S. fatalis , and S. populator . The two latter species were probably descended from S. gracilis , which itself probably evolved from Megantereon . The hundreds of specimens obtained from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles constitute
6318-510: Was not closely related to the tiger or other modern cats, belonging to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae , with an estimated date of divergence from the ancestor of living cats around 20 million years ago. Smilodon was one of the last surviving machairodonts alongside Homotherium . Smilodon lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene epoch (2.5 mya – 10,000 years ago). The genus
6399-558: Was the Dinosaurs television series. Its main animatronic supervisor is London native David Barrington-Holt. Since The Jim Henson Company sold off the rights to The Muppets brand to Disney in 2004; the Muppet Workshop in New York is now credited as Jim Henson's Creature Shop. In the modern day, the New York shop specializes in hand puppets, including building The Muppets and most of
6480-466: Was willing to risk biting into bone with its canines. This may have been focused more towards competition such as other Smilodon or potential threats such as other carnivores than on prey. Debate continues as to how Smilodon killed its prey. Traditionally, the most popular theory is that the cat delivered a deep stabbing bite or open-jawed stabbing thrust to the throat, killing the prey very quickly. Another hypothesis suggests that Smilodon targeted
6561-428: Was within the range of extant felids. Its canines were fragile and could not have bitten into bone; due to the risk of breaking, these cats had to subdue and restrain their prey with their powerful forelimbs before they could use their canine teeth, and likely used quick slashing or stabbing bites rather than the slow, suffocating bites typically used by modern cats. On rare occasions, as evidenced by fossils, Smilodon
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