Saber-Toothed Cat (Smilodon)

Smilodon, often called the saber-toothed cat, lived during the Ice Age. It was not a dinosaur. It was a mammal and a powerful predator.

SABER-TOOTHED CAT

COMMON NAME: Saber-Toothed Cat (Smilodon)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Smilodon

TYPE: Mammal

DIET: Carnivore

GROUP NAME: Unknown

WHEN IT LIVED: Pleistocene Ice Age (until about 10,000 years ago)

WHERE IT LIVED: North and South America

SIZE: About 5 to 6 feet long

WEIGHT: About 400 to 600 pounds

Teeth and Strength

Smilodon had long canine teeth that could be over 6 inches long. It also had very strong front legs that helped it hold onto prey.

Scene showing how Smilodon might have used its strength to hunt. Image Credit: Duskbloom Littles (Artistic Image Rendering)

Life in the Ice Age

Smilodon lived in grasslands and open woodlands. It may have hunted animals like bison, young mammoths, and deer.

Smilodon clues: Ice Age grasslands, sharp claws, likely prey animals, and famous fossil sites like the La Brea Tar Pits. Image Credits (from top left to bottom right): Duskbloom Littles (Artistic Image Rendering); Duskbloom Littles (Artistic Image Rendering); Duskbloom Littles (Artistic Image Rendering); M. O'Sullivan, VOA, Wikimedia Commons

Smilodon shows how different Ice Age predators were from the big cats we see today.