sabre-toothed tiger

sabre-toothed tiger

Any of the extinct cat species forming the subfamily Machairodontinae.

They had two long, bladelike canine teeth in the upper jaw. They lived from 36.6 million years ago to about 10,000 years ago, arising in North America and Europe and spreading to Asia, Africa, and South America. The best-known, the short-limbed Smilodon of the Americas, was bigger than the modern lion. Its "sabres," which grew to 8 in. (20 cm) long, were used to stab and slash prey, including the mastodon, whose pattern of extinction paralleled their own.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • sabre-toothed tiger — noun Any of numerous species of prehistoric cat like mammals. A cat of the Machairodontinae subfamily of the Felidae. Syn: sabre tooth …   Wiktionary

  • sabre toothed tiger — n. tiger with teeth that resemble sabers …   English contemporary dictionary

  • sabre-toothed tiger — /seɪbə tuθt ˈtaɪgə/ (say saybuh toohtht tuyguh) noun an extinct feline of the Tertiary era, with unusually long upper canine teeth extending down from the mouth …  

  • SABRE TOOTHED TIGER — …   Useful english dictionary

  • sabre-toothed tiger — …   Useful english dictionary

  • sabre-toothed — /ˈseɪbə tuθt/ (say saybuh toohtht) adjective having sabre like teeth, as some extinct feline mammals and marsupials whose long upper canine teeth sometimes extended below the margin of the lower jaw, as the sabre toothed tiger …  

  • sabre-toothed cat — noun the sabre toothed tiger …   Wiktionary

  • sabre-toothed cat — ▪ subfamily of mammals  any of the extinct (extinction) catlike carnivores (carnivore) belonging either to the extinct family Nimravidae or the subfamily Machairodontinae of the cat family (Felidae (feline)). Named for the pair of elongated,… …   Universalium

  • sabre-toothed — adj. Sabre toothed is used with these nouns: ↑tiger …   Collocations dictionary

  • sabre-toothed — adjective having teeth that resemble sabers a saber toothed tiger • Syn: ↑saber toothed, ↑sabertoothed • Similar to: ↑toothed …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”