Mammal
Smilodon
Although it is called the "saber-toothed tiger," it was not a close relative of the modern tiger.
Smilodon is often nicknamed the saber-toothed tiger, although it was not a tiger.
Three stages. One companion.
Game artwork
AI-generated, stylized game illustrations. These designs and growth stages are imaginative, not scientific reconstructions.
Smilodon at a glance
- Diet
- Carnivore
- It is interpreted as a consumer of other animals. Hunting and scavenging are not mutually exclusive behaviors.
- When it lived
- Quaternary
- Group
- Felidae
- Felids
- Fossil locations
- Brazil, Los Angeles
- Places where fossils have been found
Beyond the game
The real Smilodon
It belonged to the now-extinct machairodontine branch of the cat family. It lived in the Americas during the ice ages and was among the last saber-toothed cats.
Often called a saber-toothed tiger, it was not a close relative of the modern tiger. The familiar nickname and striking teeth do not determine its family relationships. It belonged to an extinct branch of cats with its own evolutionary history.
The cat family includes living species and extinct branches. Saber-shaped teeth also evolved in animals that were not cats: a similar shape does not prove a close relationship.
Fossil discoveries
Selected fossil records · present-day map
Map references
Map: Natural Earth, public domain. Fossil records: linked collections and publications.Sources & text credits
Explore the references behind this profile.
- Smilodon
Wikipedia contributors · Spanish source
Educational text adapted and translated from this article by Wikipedia contributors. The revision link, when captured in the source catalogue, identifies the source version.
- Smilodon
Wikipedia contributors · English source
Educational text adapted and translated from this article by Wikipedia contributors. The revision link, when captured in the source catalogue, identifies the source version.
- Felidae
Wikipedia contributors · English source
Educational text adapted and translated from this article by Wikipedia contributors. The revision link, when captured in the source catalogue, identifies the source version.
- Cats
Wikipedia contributors · English source
Educational text adapted and translated from this article by Wikipedia contributors. The revision link, when captured in the source catalogue, identifies the source version.
Educational text adapted in English from the existing Wikipedia-backed Dinosgacha catalogue and linked articles by Wikipedia contributors.
Existing English translations have been selected and arranged for this encyclopedia. Repeated period and diet text is omitted where those fields already carry it. Unknown facts remain unfilled; unreviewed geological age phrases are omitted and period labels replace numerical ages.
The adapted educational text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0. This text license does not apply to the game illustrations.