Smilodon appears
The best-known sabre-toothed cat evolves in South America and grows into an ambush specialist.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 20 thousand years
- Known to
- ± 200 thousand years
- Era
- Pliocene, Cenozoic
Smilodon arises around 2.5 million years ago and becomes the archetypal sabre-tooth: heavily muscled forelimbs, a short tail, and canines up to 28 centimetres. Its skeleton is built for grappling and holding rather than pursuit, and its jaw could open to 120 degrees. Later, thousands of individuals accumulate in the La Brea tar pits, many with healed serious injuries — evidence that has been read as indicating individuals were supported by others while unable to hunt, though the inference is debated.