According to a research paper published last week in the Journal of Mammalian Evolution, this new-found specimen provides clear evidence for a diverse range of predator fauna existing during the late Miocene of the continent that included some of the biggest felids in Earth s history.
Credit: Roger Witter
The sabre-toothed cat was part of an early evolutionary branch that went extinct roughly 10,000 years ago, where today s house cats are an entirely different evolutionary offshoot that emerged later. Sabre-toothed cats, similar to lions, were quite social animals that hunted for their meals and existed amongst other members of the same species.