Smilodon was a heavy ambush predator of lumbering large prey.
Evidence
Well-preserved specimens of the dirk-toothed cat Smilodon fatalis from the La Brea tar pits indicate that it was smaller than a modern lion, but more than twice as heavy (six hundred pounds), with a bobbed tail. These short, stout animals could never have chased down prey and almost certainly ambushed them from close range. Fossil bone beds suggest that sabertooths specialized on lumbering prey such as camels and young mammoths and mastodons, and the shapes of their forelimbs suggest they leapt onto the backs of these behemoths from trees. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 81
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Ambush predators evolve large weapons because they strike rather than chase prey — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 956; Ambush predation releases predators from chasing speed, allowing extreme weapon evolution.
Related
- Ambush predators evolve large weapons because they strike rather than chase prey (similarity 0.84)
- Ambush predators depend on appendage speed more than body speed (similarity 0.83)
- Ambush predation releases predators from chasing speed, allowing extreme weapon evolution. (similarity 0.83)
- Cat canines are piercing weapons vulnerable to side torque during hunts (similarity 0.81)
- Ambush predators sacrifice locomotion speed for close-range striking power (similarity 0.80)
- Predator weapons stay small because larger ones hinder hunting (similarity 0.79)
- Predator diversity is best explained by weapon adaptation to habitat and prey (similarity 0.79)
- Cat weapons stayed moderate because agility and speed offset killing power (similarity 0.78)
- Wolves evolved dual-purpose teeth and pack tactics to subdue oversized prey (similarity 0.78)
- Praying mantis ambush hunting explains their spring-loaded raptorial forelegs. (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Ambush predation releases predators from chasing speed, allowing extreme weapon evolution.
#exemplifies(0.80) - Ambush predators evolve large weapons because they strike rather than chase prey
#exemplifies(0.75) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 956