Machairodontinae

The Machairodontinae, commonly known as saber-toothed cats, were an extinct subfamily of feline carnivores that roamed the Earth from approximately 12 million to less than 10,000 years ago. These formidable predators are characterized by their elongated, bladelike canine teeth in the upper jaw, which earned them the popular names "saber-toothed tigers" or "saber-toothed lions".1

The most well-known genus is Smilodon, which lived in North and South America during the Pleistocene Epoch. Smilodon was comparable in size to a modern African lion but was more robust and stocky, with powerful forelimbs adapted for grappling prey. Their immense canine teeth, some up to 20 cm (8 inches) long, were likely used for stabbing and slashing attacks on large herbivores. The jaw could open to about a 90° angle, facilitating these attacks. Saber-toothed cats existed across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and their extinction pattern often mirrored that of their prey, such as mastodons.123