May 03, 2021 05:50 PM EDT
Scientists reported on May 3, 2021, in a new study, a giant saber-toothed cat inhabited North America (Columbus, Ohio) between 5 million and 9 million years ago, weighing about 900 pounds and capturing prey that possibly weighed 1,000 to 2,000 pounds.
(Photo : Getty Images)
Identification of the Cat s Fossils
The researchers finalized a meticulous comparison of seven fossil specimens that are uncategorized with formerly recognized fossils and samples of bone from around the world to describe the new species. Their discovery makes a case for using the elbow portion of the humerus - adding to the teeth - to have an identification of large saber-toothed cats fossils whose huge forearms enabled them to conquer their prey.
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In the latter case, the big cat forearm was accompanied by teeth, which are generally considered a gold standard for identifying new species.
The largest M. lahayishupup humerus fossils they found was more than 18 inches (46 cm) and 1.7 inches (4.3 cm) in diameter.
For comparison, the upper arm bone of an average modern adult male lion is around 13 inches (33 cm) in length.
US researchers named the ferocious feline Machairodus lahayishupup to honour the Cayuse people, on whose lands the original specimen was unearthed. In Old Cayuse, Laháyis Húpup means ancient wild cat , while Machairodus is a known genus of giant, sabre-toothed cats from North America, Africa, Eurasia
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IMAGE: Image of the humerus bone excavated from north central Oregon, which is now on display in the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History. view more
Credit: Photo courtesy of John Orcutt
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A giant saber-toothed cat lived in North America between 5 million and 9 million years ago, weighing up to 900 pounds and hunting prey that likely weighed 1,000 to 2,000 pounds, scientists reported today in a new study.
The researchers completed a painstaking comparison of seven uncategorized fossil specimens with previously identified fossils and bone samples from around the world to describe the new species. Their finding makes a case for the use of the elbow portion of the humerus - in addition to teeth - to identify fossils of large saber-toothed cats whose massive forearms enabled them to subdue their prey.
How many Tyrannosaurus rexes roamed North America during the Cretaceous period?
That s a question Charles Marshall pestered his paleontologist colleagues with for years until he finally teamed up with his students to find an answer.
What the team found, published this month in the journal Science, is that about 20,000 adult T. rexes probably lived at any one time, give or take a factor of 10, which is in the ballpark of what most of his colleagues guessed.
What few paleontologists had fully grasped, he said, including himself, is that this means that some 2.5 billion lived and died over the approximately 2 1/2 million years the dinosaur walked the earth.