TAXONOMY

Describer (Date): Lund 1842
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Smilodon
Species: Smilodon fatalis (extinct)
Species: Smilodon fgracilis (extinct)
Species: Smilodon populator (extinct)

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS 

Body Weight:160 - 280 kg (353 - 617 lb)
Body Length: 175 cm (68.9 in)
Tail Length: 35 cm (13.8 in)
Height at Shoulder: 100 cm (39.4 in)

DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS

Range: North, Central, and South Americas
Habitat: Forests, brushy plains, margins of
     woodlands
Status: Extinct as of 13,000 years ago

BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY

Locomotion: Ambush predator; not built for
     long-distance running
Activity Cycle: Unknown
Social Groups: Possible cooperative hunting,
     although small brain size argues for solitary
     life-style
Diet: Large mammls such as bison, griant ground
     sloths, young mammoths and mastodons,
     horses, camels
Predators: No predators on healthy adults

REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Longevity: unknown

SPECIES HIGHLIGHTS

Feature Facts: Smilodon had 7 inch-long canine
     teeth and could open its mouth an astounding
     130 degrees, almost twice the gape of modern
     cats. Smilodon is the State Fossil of California.