Smilodon Saber Tooth Cats

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Smilodon fatalis on Cliff

Smilodon was one of the Genus of saber tooth cat.  Sometimes they are called "saber tooth tigers" but saber tooth cat is more correct.  There were many species of saber tooth cat.  Some were as small as a modern bobcat.  Others, like Smilodon, were  bigger than a modern tiger.  Smilodon lived in both North and South America.   They lived from 2.5 million years ago to just 10,000 million years ago.
Smilodon fatalis is from N. America.  Over many millions of years there were several different saber tooth cats.  The others were smaller than any of the Smilodon species.

Smilodon fatalis

Smilodon fatalis skeleton is pictured here.  This specimen is found at the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi, Utah, USA.  Smilodon fatalis weighed up to 620 lbs. or 280 kg.  The biggest Smilodon species was found in South America.  It is called Smilodon populator.  It had a weight of up to 880 lbs or 400 kg.  This makes it the largest cat ever known.  To compare it consider that the modern Siberian tiger weighs 675 lbs or 306 kg.  By the way, the smallest Smilodon was Smilodon gracilis. It weighed 220 lbs or 100 kg.   In fact, the two larger species of Smilodon may have evolved from S. gracilis.  

Here is an older drawing of a close up of Smilodon fatalis.

Smilodon fatalis detailed coloring page

And here is a drawing I did in color several years ago.  It is also Smilodon fatalis.

Smilodon fatalis 
Drawn in pastel chalk and Prisma color pencils

    Classification of the Genus: Smilodon would involve three classification charts.  

Smallest Smilodon species               Medium Smilodon species               Largest Smilodon species

Kingdom:  Animalia                            Kingdom:  Animalia                          Kingdom:  Animalia

Phylum:  Chordata                               Phylum:  Chordata                            Pylum:  Chordata

Class:  Mammalia                                Class:  Mammalia                             Class:  Mammalia

Order:  Carnivora                                 Order:  Carnivora                             Order:  Carnivora

Family:  Felidae                                   Family:  Felidae                                Family:  Felidae

Genus:  Smilodon                                 Genus:  Smilodon                              Genus:  Smilodon

species:  gracilis                                   species:  fatalis                                 species:  populator

Notice that these three animals are classified exactly the same until the species level of classification.