Talk:Smilodon
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I'm not really understanding why my category additions which listed this animal as a pleistocene mammal, which it was, were removed. It would seem to me that a more precise placement of an extinct animal in the geologic time scale would be beneficial to readers, particularly since most readers are, assumingly, unaware of the time frames in which animals lived. This category, I argue, offers some perspective on the pleistocene era and the contemporary mammals of this epoch. There seems to me to be no good reason why it would have been removed. However, in the interest of considering the opinions of the user who reverted the edit, I am open to public comment on the issue. Thank you,
--aremisasling 02:57, 9 December 2005 (UTC)
- No conspiracy here: it was just an error. All reverted now. – ClockworkSoul 03:00, 9 December 2005 (UTC)
- Fair enough. I apologize for my terseness. I've become accustomed to the occasional revision or deletion of my contributions for less understandable reasons. It's a touch frustrating. I'm relieved it was just a simple error. No harm done. I appreciate your quick response. --216.228.28.177 04:04, 9 December 2005 (UTC)
- No problem: just remember, always try to asume good faith (as difficult as it may be sometimes). The few wars I've found myself in only happened because one party or another forgot that keystone policy. – ClockworkSoul 19:39, 9 December 2005 (UTC)
"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 and about twice as heavy. Its jaws could open 95 degrees. Its fangs were about 17 cm (7 inches) long."
A contradiction in the same paragraph: "Smilodon weighed approximately 200 kg" and "About the size of a lion smilodon was ... about twice as heavy" 72.129.170.249 19:53, 13 January 2006 (UTC)
- Size and Weight can be different, I think the size here is referring to length and height MelicansMatkin 23:01, 11 January 2007 (UTC)
I've heard numerous times that their teeth would break if used to grip large prey, from people who ought to be credible but usually in the popular media and never with the details of the calculation or a link to where the calculation was published. It would be nice if someone could actually find the information. dsws 21:34, 10 March 2006 (UTC)
All I can say is that I've seen demonstrations where the demonstrator showed that the long teeth were used to deliver the typical cat "kill bite" that cats still use today to break their prey's neck. Lord Sephiroth03:17, 23 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] "saber-toothed tiger" redirects
Saber-toothed tiger and various similar names redirect here to Smilodon. However, checking a few dictionaries, they all say something like "any of various..."
- any of several extinct members of the cat family Felidae from the Oligocene to Pleistocene Epochs, having greatly elongated, saberlike upper canine teeth.[1]
- Any of various extinct cats of the Oligocene to the Pleistocene Epoch, especially one of the larger members of the genus Smilodon, characterized by long upper canine teeth.[2]
So since this is a wide, generic term that applies to more than just Smilodon, I'm going to redirect saber-toothed tiger and similar names over to the more generic saber-toothed cat. — coelacan talk — 21:02, 28 November 2006 (UTC)
