Everything about The Machairodontinae totally explained
The
Machairodontinae form a subfamily of the
Felidae (true cats). It contains some of the extinct cats commonly known as "
saber-toothed cats", including the famed genus
Smilodon as well as other cats with only minor increases in the size and length of their
maxillary canines. Sometimes other carnivorous mammals with elongated teeth are also called saber-toothed cats, although they don't belong to the felids. Besides the machairodonts, saber-toothed predators arose in the
Nimravidae,the
Barbourofelidae, the
Creodonta (
Machaeroides) and even in the
Marsupials (
Thylacosmilus).
Evolution
The Machairodontinae obviously originated in the early or middle
Miocene of Africa. The early felid
Pseudaelurus quadridentatus showed a trend towards elongated upper canines and is believed to be at the base of the machairodontine evolution . The earliest known machairodontid genus is the middle Miocene
Miomachairodus from Africa and Turkey . Until the late Miocene machairodontines co-existed at several places together with
barbourofelids, archaic large carnivores, bearing also long sabreteeth . Traditionally three different tribes of machairodontines were recognized, the
Smilodontini with typical dirk-toothed forms like
Megantereon and
Smilodon, the
Machairodontini or
Homotherini with scimitar-toothed cats like
Machairodus or
Homotherium and the
Metailurini, containing generea like
Dinofelis and
Metailurus. However, recently the Metailurini are grouped within another felid subfamily, the Felinae, not into the Machairodontinae . The last machairodontine genera
Smilodon and
Homotherium disappeared not until the latest
Pleistocene, roughly 10.000 years ago in the Americas.
The name 'saber-toothed tigers' is misleading. Machairodonts were not even in the same subfamily as tigers, there's no evidence that they'd tiger-like coat patterns, and this broad group of animals certainly didn't all live or hunt in the same manner as the modern
tiger.
DNA analysis published in 2005 confirmed and clarified
cladistic analysis in showing that the Machairodontinae diverged early from the ancestors of modern cats and are not closely related to any living feline species . Sabertooths also coexisted in many places together with
conical-toothed cats. In
Africa and Eurasia, sabertooths competed with several
pantherines and
cheetahs until the early or middle Pleistocene.
Homotherium survived in Northern Europe even until the late Pleistocene. In the Americas the coexisted together with
cougar,
American lion,
American Cheetah, and
Jaguar until the latest Pleistocene. Saber-toothed and conical-toothed cats competed with each other for food resources, until the last of the former became extinct. All recent felids have more or less conical-shaped upper canines.
Teeth
Machairodonts are divided into two types: dirk-toothed and scimitar-toothed. Dirk-toothed cats had elongated, narrow upper canines and generally had stocky bodies. Scimitar-toothed cats had broader and shorter upper canines and a typically lither body form with longer legs. The longer-toothed cats often had a bony
flange that extended from their lower mandible. However, one genus,
Xenosmilus, known only from two fairly complete fossils, broke this mould, possessing both the stout heavy limbs associated with dirk-toothed cats, and the stout canines of a scimitar-toothed cat.
Hunting techniques
The method by which machairodonts hunted is hotly debated. It was originally thought that they used a 'stabbing' motion with their teeth (dropping their jaws wide open, baring their teeth, and thrashing downward). However, this is now considered unlikely, for the teeth, being so long, were fragile, and a large prey animal thrashing about could easily injure the teeth, which would impair hunting. Some scientists suggest that the cats slashed at the bellies of large animals with their teeth and waited for them to die of blood loss, although the risk of breakage would still be high. When the bite of a dirk toothed cat is matched against the neck of a large
ungulate, however, it shows that the bite would sever all arteries and veins, while acting as a clamp around the windpipe. This method would still have been risky for the teeth if the prey moved too much, but less risky than the stabbing method; with the neck bite, the cat would be anchored with its incisors and lower canines. Also, if the cats worked in prides (there is evidence that some species may have), they could have subdued the animal before performing the killing bite.
Genera
The genera of Machairodontines:
Machairodontini
Smilodontini
Paramachairodus: middle to late Miocene; Europe and Asia
Megantereon: early Pliocene to middle Pleistocene; Europe, Asia, Africa, North America
Smilodon: late Pliocene to latest Pleistocene, North and South America
Notes and References
Further Information
Get more info on 'Machairodontinae'.
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