Fossils explained 52--Majestic killers: the sabre-toothed cats

摘要

This article gives only a short glimpse of what we know about the majestic killers of the past. This type of overview might give the impression that we know pretty much everything there is to know about sabre-toothed cats. But that would be a misconception. Although a species like Smilodon fatalis is very well known from the material recovered at Rancho La Brea, most sabre-toothed cats are known from little, and often fragmented, material. A couple of genera are known from single specimens only, and even a simple question like the number of species in Homotherium is cause for scientific debate. But what is the scientific interest in sabre-toothed cats? Is it merely that scientists too are intrigued by these deadly animals? First of all, the study of sabre-toothed cats teaches us something about the nature of evolution itself. We see the same type of adaptation appearing over and over again in various carnivores. Apart from that, sabre-toothed cats hold important information for the palaeontologist trying to reconstruct environments in the past. Smilodon, Homotherium and Machairodus were the top predators of their respective ecosystems, and as such hold valuable clues about how these worlds of the past were organized. Finally, this may lead to solving the biggest mystery. As we pointed out in our introduction, the strangest thing about sabre-toothed cats is that after a continuous presence for 50 million years, none are alive today. Thus understanding these animals and their natural surroundings may finally tell us what led to the downfall of these majestic killers.