Before humans became hunters and made their way to the top of the food chain, cats were the most successful and powerful predators. Even today, felines such as tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards are still admired and feared, but even they cannot outshine their extinct ancestors.
Giant cheetah
The giant cheetah belongs to the same genus as modern cheetahs. And it looked similar, but was much larger. Weighing up to 150 kg, the cheetah was as large as the African lion and could hunt large prey. Some suggest that the giant cheetah could reach speeds of up to 115 km/h! This animal lived in Europe and Asia during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Extinct during the last ice age.
Xenosmilus
Xenosmilus is related to Smilodon (the famous saber-toothed tiger), but instead of long, blade-like fangs, it had shorter teeth. They looked more like the teeth of a shark and a carnivorous dinosaur than the teeth of a modern cat. This creature hunted from ambush and killed its prey, tearing out pieces of meat from it. Xenosmilus was quite large by today's standards - weighing up to 230 kg, and it was similar in size to an adult lion or tiger. The remains of this cat were found in Florida.
Giant Jaguar
Today, jaguars are quite small animals compared to lions and tigers, typically weighing 60-100 kg. In prehistoric times, North and South America were home to giant jaguars. These cats had much longer limbs and tails than the modern jaguar. Scientists believe that jaguars lived on open plains, but due to competition with lions and other big cats, they were forced to find more wooded areas. Giant prehistoric jaguars were the size of a lion or tiger and very strong.
European Jaguar
Unlike the giant jaguar mentioned, the European jaguar was not the same species as modern jaguars. Nobody knows what this prehistoric cat looked like. Some scientists believe that it most likely resembled modern spotted felines, or maybe a cross between a lion and a jaguar. Obviously, this creature was a dangerous predator, weighing up to 210 kg and being at the top of the food chain 1.5 million years ago. His remains were found in Germany, France, England, Spain and the Netherlands.
Cave lion
The cave lion is a subspecies of lion of very large size and weighing up to 300 kg. This is one of the most dangerous and powerful predators that lived during the last ice age in Europe. There is evidence that he was feared and possibly worshiped by prehistoric people. Many drawings and several figurines depicting a cave lion were found. It is interesting that this lion was depicted without a mane.
Homotherium
Homotherium was one of the most dangerous felines in prehistoric times, living in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. It adapted well to environmental conditions, including the subarctic tundra, and lived for 5 million years before its extinction 10,000 years ago. Externally, Homotherium differed from other large cats. The forelimbs were slightly longer than the hind limbs, resembling a hyena. The structure of the hind limbs of Homotherium indicates that it jumped worse than modern cats. Homotherium may not have been the largest predator, but some finds show that the mass of this cat reached 400 kg, which is more than the mass of a modern Siberian tiger.
Mahairod
Unlike Smilodon, which was a classic saber-toothed tiger, its short tail and body proportions were different from a real tiger. The Mahairods looked like giant tigers with saber teeth, as well as similar proportions and a long tail. Whether the animal had stripes is unknown. Found in Chad, Africa, the remains of a mahairod suggest that the creature was one of the largest cats of all time. It weighed up to 500 kg and was the size of a horse. He hunted elephants, rhinoceroses and other herbivores. Machairod most likely looked like the giant tiger from the movie 10,000 BC.
American lion
After Smilodon, it is most likely the most famous prehistoric cat. It lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene and went extinct 11,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. Most scientists argue that the American lion was a giant relative of the modern lion. His weight was 470 kg. There is debate about his hunting technique, but he most likely hunted alone.
Pleistocene tiger
This is the most mysterious animal on the list, known from fragmentary remains. It is not a separate species, but rather an early version of the modern tiger. Tigers evolved in Asia 2 million years ago to hunt the variety of huge herbivores that lived on the continent at the time. Tigers are the largest representatives of the cat family. However, during the Pleistocene period there was more food, and therefore tigers were bigger too. Some remains have been found in Russia, China and the island of Java.
Smilodon
The most famous cat that had teeth that looked like a dirk or a knife with a long straight blade is Smilodon. He and his close relatives were distinguished by long, serrated fangs and short-legged, muscular bodies reminiscent of a bear. Their strong build did not allow them to run quickly over long distances, so they most likely attacked from ambush. Well, scimitar-toothed cats relied on speed, having long limbs like cheetahs, as well as shorter and more roughly jagged fangs. Smilodon went extinct 10,000 years ago, which means they lived at the same time as humans and may have hunted them.
If you ask even a child about who the king of beasts is, the answer will be unequivocal: “Of course, a lion.” Still, there is another opinion. Many experts give the palm to the tiger, and they are confident that it will be the one who will emerge victorious from the battle of these two titans. But in order to determine who is stronger, who is faster and who is more dangerous - a tiger or a lion, it is necessary to provide the basic characteristics of these two animals.
a lion
Now lions are found only in Asia and Africa, although previously their habitat was much wider - from Europe to the Middle East. But over time, people pushed them aside, and now lions are found in the wild only in the south, east and west of Africa, as well as in India. African and Asiatic lions differ in their appearance and basic characteristics from each other: different habitats affect them.
These representatives of the cat family live in small groups - prides, the number of which ranges from four to thirty or more individuals. Usually a pride includes two or three males, one of which is dominant, and several females with offspring. Large dimensions do not prevent these animals from overcoming even a three-meter height. In general, jumping is their strong point. When hunting, a lion freezes in the grass, waiting for its prey, and then knocks it to the ground in one calculated leap. Although, by the way, the main breadwinner is the female, and the male is more responsible for protecting the pride territory from unwanted intrusions. It is quite easy to distinguish a lion from a lioness: the male has a lush mane, while the lioness does not.
Tiger
There are different subspecies: Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malay, Sumatran, Chinese. All names correspond to the habitat.
Tigers are solitary hunters. They do not live in a flock, but separately. The male occupies a territory of 700-800 square kilometers, and the female and her offspring need only 500 square kilometers.
Who is bigger - a tiger or a lion?
The weight of an adult lion ranges from 180 to 240 kg, and the body length reaches three meters. Females are slightly smaller: the average weight is 140 kg, and their body length is half a meter shorter.
The length of the body of an average adult tiger is not inferior to the length of the body of a lion; on the contrary, it is slightly longer. As for body weight, here too there is a difference of 50 kg in favor of the tiger. Representatives of the Amur subspecies are even heavier: their weight reaches 350 kg.
So, who is bigger - a lion or a tiger? It turns out that the striped representative of the cat family is slightly superior to its maned relative in size.
Comparison of the strength of two predators
Who is stronger - a lion or a tiger? The answer is far from clear-cut. It depends on what is considered an indicator of strength: either the characteristics of the type, or the number of rounds won. The tiger's claws are sharper and longer (10 cm) than those of the lion (7 cm). Since a tiger is on average heavier than a lion, this means that it has more muscles. The force of compression of their jaws is approximately the same, and they kill the victim in a similar way: they dig their fangs into the neck. But the success of the fight depends not only on who is bigger - the tiger or the lion, but also on the tactics of the battle. For example, a lion's blow is more devastating. With one swing he kills a hyena or a zebra. If we take external characteristics, then the tiger is stronger than the lion. But if we take the specific results of the skirmishes of these two animals as a basis, then the king of beasts does not give up his positions and proves that he deservedly received such a title.
Who is faster - a lion or a tiger?
Here the advantage is on the side of the tabby cat. An adult tiger reaches speeds of up to 80 km/h, while a lion reaches only 60 km/h. True, both of them are unable to run at such speed over long distances.
Who is more dangerous?
In terms of its behavior in a fight, a tiger seems more aggressive than a lion. He immediately rushes into battle, while the lion can enter the battle as if reluctantly. Sometimes it seems like he's playing first rather than trying to hit. It's all about their social nature. The tiger is used to fighting alone; he knows that he has no one to expect help from. And a lion, who mainly hunts with members of a pride, may habitually think that he has a support group behind him, ready to join in at any moment, and therefore behaves less intimidatingly than his opponent.
Who is more resilient?
Definitely a lion. It seems that he doesn’t even care about deep wounds and pain. He will fight to the end. The tiger, as a rule, runs away after several injuries inflicted on it. In a fight, the tiger makes more active, but unnecessary movements, and as a result, its strength is quickly depleted.
Who wins the conflict?
The answer to the question “who is stronger - a lion or a tiger” requires facts and documentary evidence, and not just unfounded reasoning. There are many real videos of the fight between the two titans. In a nutshell, the conclusion is this: the tiger is most likely the initiator of the conflict, but he retreats after the lion shows who is the master of the situation. The latter is more confident. And a lion has more fighting experience, because adult lions constantly fight for territory, and a tiger can only take part in a fight a couple of times in its entire life.
The fight itself at first looks as if the tiger is still inflicting more blows on the enemy, and this creates the illusion of his victory. But mostly these blows do not reach their target, because the lion manages to dodge in time. The tiger makes a lot of unnecessary movements, and this makes him tired faster. In battle, he stands on his two hind legs and tries to fight with his front legs, making it harder to maintain balance. In addition, his strategy is not well thought out: he tries to hit the neck, but the lion has a powerful mane that absorbs these blows, and they generally do not do much harm to the lion. The lion's blows are more calculated, and if he does hit, then in such a way that the tiger will surely fall. This predator strikes with one paw, standing on the other three, and tries to hit the unprotected neck or tear out a piece of skin from the sides or back, and it succeeds quite often. If the blow is strong, but not fatal, then the tiger shamefully runs away, whining like a little dog.
To be fair, it should be noted that there is also another side to the coin. Perhaps the tiger runs away not so much because he is tired or afraid, but because he is more afraid of wounds than the lion and does not see the need to fight to the death in an everyday showdown. After all, if a wounded lion needs to rest, then other members of the pride will take care of him, but the tiger can only rely on himself, and severe severe wounds doom him to hunger. Therefore, he may choose to retreat.
Fights in Ancient Rome
Interestingly, the expression “king of beasts” was assigned to the lion during the times of Ancient Rome. The attitude towards him as the owner of enormous power is evidenced by many architectural monuments, where this majestic predator is depicted as a winner. The question of who is stronger, a lion or a tiger, also interested the ancient Romans. To please the spectators thirsty for bloody spectacles, various animals were pitted against each other. Very often it was the lions and tigers who had to measure their strength.
Who mostly won such fights? Almost all historical reports speak in favor of lions. For example, the preferential victories of these predators over tigers are recorded in Plato’s “Dialogues” and in the “Memoirs of Cleopatra.” Moreover, there is evidence that the lion even tore apart an elephant thanks to his grip and technique.
Another additional answer to the question of who is stronger - a lion or a tiger - are the architectural monuments of Ancient Rome. It is the lion that is depicted in the sculptures as a symbol of courage and strength. Consequently, eyewitnesses of animal fights also considered him this way. There are very few monuments where the tiger is immortalized.
Skirmishes in zoos and circuses
In nature, separate fights would never take place, because the habitats of some subspecies do not overlap. For example, an Amur tiger or a lion living in Africa would never have the opportunity to measure their strength. It’s different in zoos, where they live in neighboring cages.
You can't argue with the numbers. In most fatal cases, the victims were tigers. When they and the lions are together in a confined space, for example in an enclosure or cage, the tigers become very panicky because they have nowhere to escape. They behave rather irrationally, and this is the main reason for their defeats. Leo, on the contrary, pushes his line to the end, and the final outcome is the death of the enemy.
One animal trainer described the case of a lion named Sultan the First. During one performance in the circus, he challenged all the tigers. They approached him in the arena, and he defeated them all in turn. Moreover, these were only large young and strong animals. Sultan the First, like an experienced boxer, delivered false blows, bluffed, causing the tigers to miss, and then delivered a crushing blow. The defeated tigers crawled around the arena, and the winner triumphantly finished them off. No one could take them away; all the tigers died. It was a cruel sight.
Having considered these facts, each reader can decide for himself who is better - a lion or a tiger - to prove himself in a fight. Although it would be much better if they never fought among themselves or attacked a person.
For a long time, until the moment when man became a hunter and acquired weapons, representatives of the cat family were at the top of the food chain of our planet. Of course, these were not modern lions, jaguars, leopards and tigers, but their extinct ancestors, such as the saber-toothed tiger or the American lion. Let's get acquainted virtually with the prehistoric extinct American lion, or, as scientists call it, Panthera leo atrox.
Biological description
All lions, as well as jaguars, tigers and leopards, are representatives of (Felidae), belonging to the subfamily Pantherinae - large cats, and the genus Panthera (panther). According to the evolution of this species, it occurred about 900,000 years ago in what is now modern Africa. Subsequently, representatives of this species populated most of the Holarctic territory. The earliest remains of predators in Europe were found near the Italian city of Isernia, and their age was determined to be 700,000 years. The cave lion lived on the Eurasian continent approximately 300,000 years ago. Thanks to the isthmus that at that time connected America with Eurasia, part of the population of these cave predators came through Alaska and Chukotka to North America, where, due to long-term isolation, a new subspecies of lions was formed - American.
Family ties
As a result of long-term joint work carried out by researchers from Russia, England, Australia and Germany, it was found that there were only three species of lions on our planet. Today, the modern lion lives in a fairly small range. But before him, there were two prehistoric and extinct species today. First of all, this is (Panthera leo spelaea), which lived in western Canada and throughout almost all of Eurasia in the Pleistocene. In addition, there was also an American lion (Panthera leo atrox) that lived in what is now the United States. And also in some areas of South America. It is also called the North American lion, or the giant Naegele jaguar. As a result of studies of the genetic material of fossil animals and modern predators, it was possible to establish that all three species of lions are very close in their genome. But here's what else scientists managed to find out: the subspecies of the American lion was in genetic isolation for more than 340,000 years, and during this time it became very different from other subspecies.
Where did they come from?
Initially, lions that came from Africa populated the territory of Eurasia and only then crossed the Beringia Isthmus, which in those distant times connected North America with the Eurasian continent, and began to explore the new continent. Scientists have suggested that the emergence of two different species in North America is associated with the isolation of representatives of these two populations as a result of glaciation. According to another hypothesis, different species: cave and American lions are representatives of two waves of migration from Eurasia, quite distant from each other in time.
What did he look like?
Like others, the American lion disappeared approximately 10,000 years ago. At one time, it was one of the largest and most dangerous animals: its length could reach three meters or even more, and its weight in females reached 300, and in males up to 400 kg. There is still no agreement among scientists on the question of whether this animal had a mane, like its modern descendant, or not. However, they describe his appearance quite definitely: on powerful legs there was a dense, muscular body, crowned with a large head, and at the back there was a long tail. The color of the skin, as researchers suggest, was uniform, but may have changed seasonally. Ligers are the closest morphologically to the American lion - the offspring of a tigress and a lion. It is difficult to imagine from the description what the American lion looked like. Photos of the reconstruction of its appearance help to understand how similar it is to its modern “relative”.
Where did you live?
As a result of archaeological excavations, the remains of this animal were discovered over a fairly large area: from Peru to Alaska. This allowed scientists to claim that the American lion lived not only in North America, but also in certain regions of South America. Many remains of this animal were discovered near Los Angeles. Even today, despite significant advances in science, scientists cannot name the exact and specific reasons that caused the disappearance of this predator about 10,000 years ago. There are hypotheses about the depletion of feeding grounds and the death of animals that served as food for American lions due to glaciation and changes in climatic conditions. There is also a version of involvement in the extermination of this formidable predator.
Food and competitors
The American lion may have once hunted the ancestors of modern wapiti and bison, as well as extinct bush oxen, western camels, and horses (Equus). At the same time, other large predators lived on the North American continent, also extinct.
To protect their prey and hunting grounds, lions could unite in groups. Defending its food and territory, the American lion fought against the saber-toothed tiger (Machairodontinae), dire ancient wolves (Canis dirus) and short-faced bears (Arctodus simus).
A large number of fauna representatives lived on our planet at different times. However, the populations of many animals began to decline. The main factors of extinction have always been considered to be those related to climate. But with the development of man, many animals disappeared forever. In this article we will talk about extinct wild cats.
Tasmanian tiger (marsupial tiger, Tasmanian wolf, thylacine)
One of the most mysterious animals that has been exterminated is the Tasmanian tiger.
It received its name in honor of its habitat - Tasmania. Despite the fact that to a large extent its name suggests the relationship of a mammal to the cat family, in fact it is a big misconception. Many researchers even classify the mammal as a subspecies of wild dogs.
The length of an adult individual could reach 1.4 meters excluding the tail. The length of the tail could exceed 60 cm. The weight of the animal was 6.35-7.7 kg.
European settlers who arrived on the Australian mainland began a rapid hunt for individuals of this species, arguing that Tasmanian tigers stole livestock. By the 1920s, the animal population had been reduced so much that scientists had to list the species in the Red Book. Man finally exterminated the Tasmanian tiger in 1936.
Caspian tiger (Persian tiger, Turanian tiger)
The peculiarity of such tigers is their long stripes along the body, as well as their brown color. In winter, Caspian tigers developed sideburns, and the fur in the belly and entire body became very fluffy and thick.
The weight of the average Caspian tiger was 240 kg.
The Romans used Caspian tigers in gladiatorial fights.
The Caspian tiger lived in Central Asia, as well as the territory of the northern Caucasus. The rookery of the Caspian tiger could be observed up close in tropical impassable places. But they were all located quite close to the water. In just one day, the Turanian tiger could travel more than 100 km, which indicates the endurance of the extinct animal.
The latest mentions and studies related to this representative of the fauna date back to the 50s of the last century. On January 10, 1954, one of the last individuals was spotted on the territory of Turkmenistan, which migrated from the northern part of Iran. According to some sources, the last Caspian tiger was shot in southeastern Turkey in 1970.
Javan tiger
It got its name because of its main location - the island of Java, located in Indonesia.
Adults weighed 75-141 kg, body length about 2-2.5 meters.
It became extinct relatively recently - in the 1980s, due to habitat destruction, as well as poaching.
Bali tiger
Its habitat is the island of Bali, which is why it was called Balinese.
It is believed that the Bali and Javan tigers had the same ancestor.
The length of the tiger is 0.93-2.3 meters excluding the tail, weight is 65-100 kg.
Externally, this tiger among all subspecies was distinguished by the smallest number of black stripes. There could be dark spots between the stripes.
The tiger is often mentioned in folk stories and in the visual arts of the peoples of Bali.
Bali tigers were destroyed by hunters. The last tiger was killed in 1937.
Pleistocene tiger
The most mysterious feline subspecies, known from fragmentary remains.
Lived in Russia, China and the island of Java.
This is rather an early version of the modern tiger.
European cheetah (giant cheetah)
Lived in Eurasia approximately 500 thousand years ago.
Body length is 1.3-1.5 meters excluding the tail. Weight 60-90 kg. Height 90-120 cm.
Historians have discovered the remains of this cat in Europe, India and China.
Outwardly, he looked like a modern cheetah. The color of this animal remains a mystery. There are suggestions that the European cheetah had long hair.
The European cheetah most likely became extinct due to competition with other cats, which did not leave a free niche for this large predator.
Miracinonyx
Possibly a distant relative of the cheetah. Probably the ancestor of the puma.
Lived about 3 million years ago on the American continent.
Outwardly, it was similar to a modern cheetah, had a shortened skull, with enlarged nasal cavities and high-set teeth.
It was approximately the size of a modern cheetah.
Miracinonyx became extinct 20-10 thousand years ago due to climate change, lack of food and human hunting.
European Jaguar (Gombaszog Panther)
Lived approximately 1.5 million years ago and is the earliest known species of the Panthera genus in Europe.
European jaguars weighed on average about 120-160 kg. They were larger than modern jaguars.
The European jaguar was most likely a solitary animal. He lived in forests, but could also hunt in open spaces.
Pleistocene jaguar
It is believed that it descended from a giant jaguar. Appeared approximately 1.6 million years ago.
It was 1 meter in height, 1.8-2 meters long, excluding the tail, and weighed 150-190 kg.
Pleistocene jaguars lived in dense jungles, swampy floodplains, or coastal areas of North and South America.
Extinct 10 thousand years ago.
Giant Jaguar
Lived in North America 1.6 million years ago.
There were two subspecies of giant jaguars - North American and South American.
The jaguar had long legs and a tail, and was the size of a modern lion or tiger.
Scientists believe that jaguars lived on open plains, but due to competition with lions and other big cats, they were forced to find more wooded areas.
Extinct 10 thousand years ago.
Barbary lion (Atlas lion or Nubian lion)
The weight of an adult is 100-270 kg.
This animal was considered the largest lion subspecies. The Barbary lion differed from its fellows in its thick and dark mane, which extended far beyond its shoulders and hung down in the lower abdomen.
In past years, it could be found in Africa, in the northern part of the Sahara Desert. It was brought by Europeans to the Roman Empire, where it was used for entertainment purposes, namely fighting with the Turanian tiger.
At the beginning of the 17th century, its population declined sharply, as a result of which it was visible only in northwest Africa. Due to the popularity of the use of firearms against animals at the time, as well as the presence of targeted policies against the Barbary lion, the population of the barbary lion declined in the region. The last individual was killed in 1922 in the Atlas Mountains on the territory of their Moroccan part.
Cave lion
2.1 meters long, up to 1.2 meters high.
The ancestor of the cave lion is considered to be the Mosbach lion.
Lived in northern Eurasia.
The cave lion, despite its name, did not live in caves, but came there only during periods of illness or old age.
It is believed that cave lions were social animals and lived, like modern lions, in prides.
American lion
Lived approximately 11 thousand years ago.
Body length is about 2.5 meters excluding the tail. The American lion weighed more than 400 kg.
The American lion is descended from the cave lion, whose ancestor is the Mosbach lion. In appearance, it most likely looked like a hybrid of a modern lion and a tiger, but perhaps without the huge mane.
Mosbach lion
Lived about 300 thousand years ago.
The body length of an adult individual reached 2.5 meters excluding the tail; the lions were about 1.3 meters in height. The Mosbach lion weighed up to 450 kg.
It turns out that this was the largest and heaviest subspecies of lion that ever existed.
The cave lion evolved from the Mosbach lion.
Xenosmilus
Lived in the territory of modern North America about 1.8 million years ago.
Xenosmilus weighed up to 350 kg, and its body size was about 2 meters.
Xenosmilus had a powerful build and short but strong legs, and had not very long upper fangs.
Homotherium
Lived in Eurasia, Africa and North America 3-3.5 million years ago.
The ancestor of Homotheria is Machairod.
The height of homotherium is up to 1.1 meters, weight is about 190 kg.
The forelimbs are slightly longer than the hind limbs, the tail is short - Homotherium was more like a hyena than a big cat. Homotherians had relatively short upper canines, but they were wider and serrated.
Homotherians had a difference from all cats - they saw better during the day rather than at night.
Extinct 10 thousand years ago.
Mahairod
Lived in Eurasia, Africa and North America about 15 million years ago.
The name of the genus comes from the resemblance of the teeth of its representatives to the curved swords of the Mahaira. Mahairods looked like giant tigers with 35-centimeter saber fangs.
This saber-toothed tiger weighed up to 200 kg and was up to 3 meters long.
They became extinct about 2 million years ago.
Smilodon
Lived in America from 2.5 million to 10 thousand years BC. e.
Smilodon was the largest saber-toothed cat, reaching a height at the withers of 1.25 meters, a length of 2.5 meters including a 30-centimeter tail and weighed from 225 to 400 kg.
He had a stocky build, atypical for modern cats. The coloring of these animals could be uniform, but most likely they were spotted, like a leopard; it is also possible that males had a short mane.
Smilodon fangs were up to 29 centimeters long (including the root), and, despite their fragility, were powerful weapons.
Scientists believe that Smilodon were social animals. They lived in groups. The pride was fed by females.
The name "smilodon" means "dagger tooth".
One of the famous cartoon characters Diego from the Ice Age cartoon is precisely a Smilodon.
Tilakosmil (Marsupial saber-toothed tiger)
Lived in South America approximately 5 million years ago.
It was 0.8-1.8 meters long.
It died out 2.5 million years ago, probably unable to withstand competition with the first saber-toothed cats, in particular with Homotherium.
Outwardly, thilacosmil was a large, powerful, stocky predator with huge fangs. His upper incisors were missing.
In general, tilacosmil was not a relative of saber-toothed tigers from the cat family, rather just a similar species that lived in the same conditions.
Saber-toothed tigers are formidable and dangerous predators of the cat family, completely extinct in ancient times. A distinctive feature of these animals were the upper fangs of impressive size, shaped like sabers. What do modern scientists know about saber-toothed cats? Were these animals tigers? What did they look like, how did they live, and why did they disappear? Let's move back through the centuries - to those times when huge ferocious cats, going hunting, confidently walked across the planet with the gait of true animal kings...
Cat or tiger?
First of all, it should be noted that the term “saber-toothed tigers,” which seems so familiar, is actually incorrect.
Biological science knows the subfamily of saber-toothed cats (Machairodontinae). However, these ancient animals have extremely few features in common with tigers. The first and second have significantly different proportions and body structure, and the lower jaws are connected to the skull differently. In addition, the striped “tiger” coloring is not typical for any of the saber-toothed cats. Their lifestyle is also different from that of a tiger: paleontologists suggest that these animals were not loners, living and hunting in prides, like lions.
However, since the term “saber-toothed tigers” is used almost everywhere, and even in scientific literature, further we will also use this beautiful allegory.
Tribes of saber-toothed cats
Until 2000, the subfamily of saber-toothed cats, or Machairodontinae, united three large tribes.
Representatives of the first tribe, Machairodontini (sometimes also called Homoterini), are distinguished by exceptionally large upper fangs, wide and serrated on the inside. When hunting, predators relied more on striking with these devastating “weapons” than on biting. The smallest cats of the Mahairod tribe were comparable to a small modern leopard, the largest were larger than a very large tiger.
Saber-toothed tigers of the second tribe, Smilodontini, are characterized by longer upper canines, but they were significantly narrower and not as serrated as those of the Machairods. Their top-down attack with fangs was the most deadly and perfect among all saber-toothed cats. As a rule, Smilodon were the size of an Amur tiger or lion, but the American species of this predator has the glory of the largest saber-toothed cat in history.
The third tribe, Metailurini, is the most ancient. That is why the teeth of these animals represent a kind of “transitional stage” between the fangs of ordinary and saber-toothed cats. It is believed that they separated from other machairodonts quite early, and their evolution occurred somewhat differently. Due to the rather weak expression of “saber-toothed” characteristics, representatives of this tribe began to be classified directly as felines, considered “small cats” or “pseudo-saber-toothed”. Since 2000, this tribe is no longer included in the subfamily of interest to us.
Saber-toothed tiger period
Saber-toothed cats inhabited the Earth for quite a long time - more than twenty million years, appearing for the first time in the early Miocene and finally disappearing in the late Pleistocene period. Over all this time, they have given rise to many genera and species, differing significantly in appearance and size. However, hypertrophied upper fangs (in some species they could reach more than twenty centimeters in length) and the ability to open their mouths very wide (sometimes even one hundred and twenty degrees!) have traditionally been their common features.
Where did saber-toothed cats live?
These animals were characterized by an ambush attack. Having crushed the victim to the ground with its powerful front paws or grabbed its throat, the saber-toothed tiger instantly cut its carotid artery and trachea. Precision bite was the main weapon of this predator - after all, fangs stuck in the bones of the prey could break. Such a mistake would be fatal for the unlucky predator, depriving him of the ability to hunt and thereby dooming him to death.
Why did saber-toothed cats become extinct?
During the Pleistocene, or "Ice Age," which spanned the period from two million to twenty-five to ten thousand years ago, many large mammals gradually disappeared - cave bears, woolly rhinoceroses, giant sloths, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. Why did this happen?
During the period of glacial cooling, many plants rich in proteins, which served as the usual food for giant herbivores, died out. At the end of the Pleistocene period, the planet's climate became warmer and much drier. Forests were gradually replaced by open grass prairies, but the new vegetation, adapted to the changed conditions, did not have the nutritional value of the previous one. Herbivorous sloths and mammoths gradually died out, not finding enough food. Accordingly, there were fewer animals that predators could hunt. The saber-toothed tiger, an ambush hunter of big game, found himself hostage to the current situation. The structural features of its jaw apparatus did not allow it to hunt small animals; its massive physique and short tail did not allow it to catch up with fleet-footed prey in the open area, which was becoming more and more numerous. Changed conditions meant that the ancient tigers with saber fangs did not have a chance to survive. Slowly but inexorably, all species of these animals existing in nature disappeared from the face of the Earth.
Without exception, all saber-toothed cats are finally extinct animals that did not leave direct descendants.
Mahayrods
Of all the representatives of saber-toothed cats known to science, it was the Mahairod that most closely resembled a tiger. In nature, there were several types of mahairods, which had significant differences in appearance, but they were united by the jagged edges of long upper fangs, shaped like “mahairs” - curved swords.
These ancient animals appeared in Eurasia about fifteen million years ago, and two million years have passed since their extinction. The weight of the largest representatives of this tribe reached half a ton, and in size they were quite comparable to modern horses. Archaeologists are convinced that the Machairod was the largest wild cat of its time. Hunting large herbivores - rhinoceroses and elephants, these animals quite successfully competed with other large predators of their time, dire wolves and cave bears. Machairods became the “progenitors” of a more advanced type of saber-toothed cat - Homotherium.
Homotherium
It is believed that these saber-toothed cats appeared about five million years ago at the boundary of the Miocene and Pleistocene. They were distinguished by a more slender physique, vaguely reminiscent of a modern lion. However, their hind legs were somewhat shorter than their front legs, which gave these predators some resemblance to a hyena. The upper fangs of Homotherium were shorter and wider than those of Smilodon - representatives of another tribe of saber-toothed cats that inhabited the Earth in parallel with them. Along with this, the presence of a large number of notches on the fangs allowed scientists to conclude that these animals were capable of delivering not only slashing, but also cutting blows.
Compared to other saber-toothed cats, Homotherium had very high endurance and was adapted to long (although not fast) running and walking over long distances. There are suggestions that these now extinct animals led a solitary lifestyle. However, most researchers are still inclined to believe that homotherium hunted in groups like other saber-toothed cats, since it was easier to kill stronger and larger prey.
Smilodon
Compared to other saber-toothed cats that the ancient animal world of the Earth knew, Smilodon had a more powerful physique. The largest representative of saber-toothed cats - Smilodon populator, which lived on the American continent - grew up to one hundred and twenty-five centimeters high at the withers, and its length from nose to tip of tail could be two and a half meters. The fangs of this beast (along with the roots) reached twenty-nine centimeters in length!
Smilodon lived and hunted in prides, including one or two dominant males, several females and young animals. The coloration of these animals could well be spotted, like a leopard. It is also possible that the males had a short mane.
Information about Smilodon is contained in many scientific reference books and fiction; it appears as a character in films ("Jurassic Portal", "Prehistoric Park") and cartoons ("Ice Age"). Perhaps this is the most famous animal of all, which is commonly called saber-tooth tigers.
The clouded leopard is a modern descendant of the saber-toothed tiger
Today it is believed that the clouded leopard is the indirect, but closest relative of Smilodon. It belongs to the subfamily Pantherinae (panther cats), within which it is classified into the genus Neofelis.
Its body is quite massive and compact at the same time - these features were also inherent in the saber-toothed cats of antiquity. Among representatives of modern felines, this animal has the longest fangs (both upper and lower) relative to its own size. In addition, the jaws of this predator can open 85 degrees, which is much more than that of any other modern cat.
Although not a direct descendant of saber-toothed cats, the clouded leopard serves as clear evidence that the method of hunting using deadly “saber fangs” can well be used by a predator in modern times.
Loading...
