Dagger-like canines of saber-toothed cats took years to grow
Wednesday, July 1, 2015 - 13:00
in Paleontology & Archaeology
New research shows that the fearsome teeth of the saber-toothed cat Smilodon fatalis fully emerged at a later age than those of modern big cats, but grew at a rate about double that of their living relatives. The findings, published today in the journal PLOS ONE and based on a new technique that combines isotopic analysis and x-ray imaging, for the first time provide specific ages for developmental events in Smilodon, notably in their teeth. The study estimates that the eruption rate of S. fatalis's permanent upper canines was 6 millimeters per month—double the growth rate of an African lion's teeth. But the extinct cat's dagger-like canines weren't fully developed until about three years of age.