Machairodontinae (from Ancient Greek μάχαιρα machaira, a type of Ancient Greek sword and ὀδόντος odontos meaning tooth) is an extinct subfamily of carnivoran mammals of the cat family Felidae, representing the earliest diverging major branch of the family.

Feb 18, 2025 · A large, short-limbed cat that lived in North and South America during the Pleistocene Epoch, it was about the size of the modern African lion (Panthera leo) and represents the peak of sabre-tooth evolution.

The saber cat, or sabercat, was a huge, feline, carnivorous species native to the planet Monastery. They were predators with a thick horn which protruded from the top of the skull.[1] The saber cat had four huge paws, each with five razor-sharp claws.

Jan 25, 2025 · The saber-toothed cat mostly hunted large, slow-moving animals, like sloths, and even young mammoths or possibly even humans. This ambush hunting style helped saber-toothed cats survive throughout the Americas.

A saber-tooth (alternatively spelled sabre-tooth) is any member of various extinct groups of predatory therapsids, predominantly carnivoran mammals, that are characterized by long, curved saber-shaped canine teeth which protruded from the mouth when closed.

With their enormous, deadly-sharp canines, saber-toothed carnivores are well known to many people as frightening and ferocious predators of the Cenozoic. Surprisingly, there is more than one "saber-toothed cat." The sabertooth morphology has appeared several times during the history of the mammals.

Mar 21, 2017 · Looking at the filiform side of the carnivoran family tree alone, sabertooths evolved at least three times: both the true sabercats and two lineages of “false” sabercats called nimravids and...

Long after the dinosaurs died out, the saber-toothed cats became the top predator of the prehistoric world. These mammals are named for their long, swordlike canine teeth. All of the saber-toothed cats are distantly related to modern cats. However, the commonly used names “saber-toothed tiger” and “saber-toothed lion” are inaccurate.

Learn more about an important part of the State Museum's natural history collection: the skull and lower jaw of a saber-toothed cat (Smilodon).

From their famous fangs to their surprising social lives, take a look at what their bones can teach us about saber-toothed cats.