Smilodon
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Extinct (fossil)
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Smilodon californicus |
- For the record label, see Smilodon Records
Smilodon (IPA: /smailəʊdɑn/, a bahuvrihi from Greek: σμιλη "knife" and (Ionic) οδων "tooth") is an extinct genus of large machairodontine sabre-toothed cats that are understood to have lived between approximately 3 million to 10,000 years ago in North and South America. They are probably the successors to Megantereon. Smilodon means knife tooth, an entirely appropriate name given its enormous fangs. The smilodon species are also known as Saber-Toothed Cats or Saber-Toothed Tigers [1].
The genus Smilodon was described by the Danish naturalist and palaeontologist Peter Wilhelm Lund in 1841. He found the fossils of Smilodon populator in caves near the small town of Lagoa Santa, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
As many as six species of Smilodon are known to have existed:
- Smilodon fatalis, 1.6 million-10,000 years ago
- Smilodon gracilis, 2.5 million-500,000 years ago
- Smilodon populator, 1 million-10,000 years ago
- Smilodon neogaeus, 3 million-500,000 years ago
- Smilodon floridus, may be a subspecies of Smilodon fatalis
- Smilodon californicus, may be a subspecies of Smilodon fatalis.
A fully-grown Smilodon weighed approximately 200 kilograms (450 pounds) and had a short tail, powerful legs and a large head. About the size of a lion, Smilodon was extremely powerful. Its jaws could open 120 degrees. Its fangs were about 17 cm (7 inches) long.
Many Smilodon fossils have been unearthed at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. The Smilodon is the prehistoric cat that researchers know the most about.
[edit] Smilodon in pop culture
- Smilodon has appeared as one of the main creatures of Impossible Pictures films Walking With Beasts and Prehistoric Park (fourth episode).
- In Jeff Rovin's novel Fatalis, several S. fatalis survive to the present day, preserved by a combination of intense heat followed by intense cold, and re-animated when the cave they were in floods, and menace various Californian communities.
- The Smilodon, or the Saber-Toothed Tiger, is the power source of Boi aka TigerRanger in the Japanese television Super Sentai series, "Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger" as well as Trini Kwan and Aisha Campbell the Yellow Rangers in the American show that was based off of Sentai; "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers".
- Although the Zaber Fang from the Zoids franchise is referred to as a "Tiger type", it is actually a Smilodon.
- The Nashville Predators mascot, Gnash, is an anthropomorphized Smilodon.
- The Saber-Toothed Tiger was also the inspiration for the logo of the Nashville Predators hockey team, after a saber tooth of one was found beneath the site of Amsouth Center during an excavation.
- Baby Puss was the Saber-Toothed Tiger that Fred Flintstone would "put out for the night" during the closing credits of The Flintstones.
- Ka-Zar, a Tarzan stereotype from Marvel Comics, has a pet "Saber-Toothed Tiger" named Zabu, who helped raise Ka-Zar.
- There were several Smilodon in the animated film Ice Age, most notably Diego (Denis Leary), one of the main characters, who also appears in the sequel, Ice Age: The Meltdown.
- Smilodon are mentioned in Gene Wolfe's series of novels The Book of the New Sun set in the far future.
- The skeleton of an incredibly massive Smilodon appears in the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.
- On the anime show Medabots, a rich boy named Koji Karacuchi owns Sumilidon, an up-to-date Saber-Toothed Tiger type Medabot.
- In the role-playing game Radiata Stories, the Smilodon appears as an enemy.
- A Smilodon is an animal available in the PC game Zoo Tycoon: Dinosaur Digs.
- In the MMORPG, World of Warcraft, the large cats and the Night Elves' racial mounts resemble the Smilodon with features from today's modern big cats and more prominent tails.
- The movie Sabretooth featured a Smilodon that was brought back to life from fossilized DNA.
- In Dungeons & Dragons, Saber-Toothed Tigers are a type of dire animal.
- The Smilodon is also an animal featured in Wildlife Park 2.
- In the novel Bodmin Moor the Beast of Bodmin is revealed to be a Smilodon.
- In the 1977 movie Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger the climax takes place in the citadel of a giant Smilodon. The creature is brought to life by Ray Harryhausen's brilliant stop-motion effects.
- It is also used as the nickname of Donald Erik Herman.
[edit] References
- "What Is a Sabertooth?" (UC-Berkeley)[2]
