Saber-Toothed Cats Were A Diseased, Inbred Mess Before They Went Extinct, New Research Suggests
4 Articles
4 Articles
Saber-Toothed Cats Were A Diseased, Inbred Mess Before They Went Extinct, New Research Suggests
Whether waking up to a slobber-soaked ribbon draped across one's face or an unfortunately massacred mouse 'gifted' in one's slippers, anyone intimate with a cat can attest that their tiny tiger is evolutionarily built to hunt.
Saber-toothed cats: Horrifying genetic defects revealed
A study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science has documented an extraordinarily high burden of congenital spinal defects and nerve tumors in the saber-toothed cat Smilodon fatalis, evidence the authors argue points to severe inbreeding in the final millennia before the species vanished. The analysis examined more than 3,700 vertebrae recovered from the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, representing at least 849 individual cats that lived r…
Fossil excavations have been conducted at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, USA, since the early 20th century, and a large number of fossils of Smilodon fatalis (Smilodon), a species of saber-toothed tiger with large canine teeth that went extinct approximately 12,000 years ago, have been collected. Hugo Schmekel and his colleagues at the Evidensia Academy in Sweden have examined these fossils and reported their findings on the pre-extinction…
Scientists found that prior to dying, saber tigers had spinal problems and vertebrate tumors.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center, 50% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
