Ice Age Giants S01E01 Land of the Sabre-Tooth <br /><br />Sabre Tooth Tiger <br />The sabre-tooth tiger, more accurately known as Smilodon, is a prehistoric predator that lived during the Pleistocene epoch. It is not closely related to modern tigers, despite the common name. <br /> Smilodon was part of the subfamily Machairodontinae, which includes various extinct saber-toothed cats. <br /> These animals were characterized by their long, curved canine teeth, which could measure up to 12 inches in length. <br /><br />Smilodon had a robust build, with a thick neck, broad chest, and short, well-muscled legs. This physique was adapted for ambush hunting rather than chasing prey over long distances. They would use their powerful forelimbs to grab and hold prey, then deliver a fatal bite with their saber-like teeth. <br /> The sabre-tooth tiger's hunting style involved pouncing on its prey from the low branches of trees, plunging its canines into the neck or flank of its victim, and then withdrawing to a safe distance while the prey bled to death. <br /><br />The sabre-tooth tiger is one of the most famous megafauna of the Pleistocene epoch, along with the woolly mammoth. <br /> Fossil remains of Smilodon have been found in various locations, including the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, where many specimens were preserved. <br /> The most well-known species is Smilodon fatalis, which was slightly bigger than the smaller Smilodon gracilis and the larger Smilodon populator. <br /><br />It is important to note that the term "saber-toothed tiger" is an informal name for any large saber-toothed felid, and there were dozens of species within this group. They belong to the subfamily Machairodontinae, which is a different lineage from modern felids that left no living descendants. <br /> Modern tigers are part of the family Felidae but belong to a different subfamily, making them "cousins" rather than direct descendants of sabre-toothed cats.
