Years before man evolved and rose to the top of the food chain, cats played the role of the world’s most powerful predator. this might come as a surprise, but cats were among the most successful predators. even today, some big cats sit at the top of the food chain. Remember, the cat family includes tigers, jaguars, lions, and leopards. What are some of the prehistoric members of the cat family?
how have our cats evolved? Like most prehistoric animals, prehistoric cats were larger in size. they came in a larger, heavier and more robust body.
For comparison, today’s African lion weighs up to 550 pounds or 250 kg. male Siberian tigers reach a weight between 400 pounds and 675 pounds.
These are some of the biggest and strongest cats in prehistory.
machairodus
This saber-toothed cat lived during the late Miocene period in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. For information, that period occurred between 10 to 5 years ago. million years.
Skeletal and life reconstructions give us an idea of what this cat looked like. He reached the size of e 3 feet 11 inches at the shoulder. and also reached 6 feet almost 7 inches in length. those numbers would make it one of the largest cats.
Think of a cat the size of a lion, but stockier and with more muscle mass. he hunted like an ambush predator. this cat had short legs that couldn’t handle a long chase.
it had a remarkably narrow skull compared to modern cats of the genus panthera, such as tiger, jaguar, leopard, and lion.
giant cheetah
The name implies that the big difference from the current cheetah is size. this cat belongs to the same genus as our current cheetah. they looked alike, only larger in size.
The giant cheetah weighed between 260 pounds and 330 pounds, making it as big as the African lioness. with such a large size, the cat could take larger prey than its modern counterpart.
The prehistoric animal could also run fast, but not as fast as the modern cheetah. the extra weight would put more pressure and slow you down. however, some experts believe that due to its longer legs and larger heart and lungs, the giant cheetah could run even faster.
xenosmilus
An extinct member of the saber-toothed cat, this cat was one of the largest prehistoric feline animals. Weighing between 500 pounds and 900 pounds, and measuring between 5 feet and 6 feet, the Xenosmilus was larger than most buck-toothed cats. saber.
with a stockier body, this cat looked very powerful and scary.
European jaguar
Fun fact: The European jaguar did not belong to the same species and genus as modern jaguars. Scientists have yet to get an idea of its appearance. some believe it resembled the modern jaguar, but others believe it resembled a cross between a jaguar and a lion.
some fossils suggest it had tiger-like features. what we know is its size. it was a large predator, weighing in at over 450 pounds. It sat at the top of the food chain in Europe about 1.5 million years ago.
Scientists have found fossils in Germany, France, England, Spain and the Netherlands.
American lion
Speaking of the great members of the prehistoric cat family, the American lion was one of the biggest. it was 25% larger than the modern African lion.
This cat had a head-body length between 5 and 8 feet. It was as long as 4 feet at the shoulder. Weighing up to 900 pounds, the American lion could hunt whatever he wanted.
ndandong tiger
This extinct subspecies of tiger lived in the sundaland region of indonesia during the pleistocene period. scientists found fossils in the ndandong village. and that’s where the name comes from.
so far, they have found only seven fossils, making the study difficult and challenging. some estimates put the male tiger at over 1000 pounds in weight. That makes it heavier than the Bengal tiger.
giant jaguar
As you can see, many prehistoric animals only have giant in front of their current name. that’s because we don’t know his original name. Jaguars today are smaller cats compared to lions and tigers. but their prehistoric counterparts could go toe to toe with lions and tigers. For example, modern jaguars weigh between 150 pounds and 220 pounds, with the largest on record at 330 pounds. Which makes it about the size of an African lioness.
Giant jaguars had longer limbs and tails than modern jaguars. They lived in similar areas with lions and other big cats. but that competition forced them to adapt to more wooded environments, where they developed their modern short-legged appearance.
There are two subspecies of prehistoric giant jaguars. one from North America and one from South America. both went extinct during the ice age.
homothere
The common name for this cat is scimitar cat. It was one of the most successful cats of prehistory. Found in North and South America, as well as Europe, Asia, and Africa, this cat could adapt to a variety of habitats.
This pack-hunting cat was adapted to fast running and active hunting mainly during the day. thus avoiding competition with nocturnal predators. its long front legs and shorter hind legs gave it a hyena-like appearance.
They could hunt mammoths, but also chase fast-footed animals thanks to their ability to run at great speed.
smilodont settler
This is the largest prehistoric cat and one of the most famous prehistoric mammals. Famous as the saber-toothed cat, the smilodon had a sturdier build than every other cat had well-developed forelimbs and long upper canines.
Its jaw had a gap larger than that of any modern cat, giving it the ability to kill with precision. this cat had a reduced lower back, high scapula, short tail, and broad limbs.
but its most prominent feature is the long canine teeth. scientists have found some really long teeth, with the longest tooth being 11 inches long.
Although many refer to it as the prehistoric saber-tooth tiger, it has close relations to the modern tiger. It primarily hunted large mammoths.
cave lion
this gigantic lion subspecies weighed more than 660 pounds. It was one of the most powerful and dangerous predators during the Ice Age in Europe. many animals feared him, and prehistoric humans worshiped him.
You can find many rock paintings and figurines representing the cave lion. curious fact: these paintings show the animal without a mane, just a ruff around its neck. that makes it similar in appearance to today’s tigers.
Some paintings also show it with faint stripes on its legs and tail. This leads scientists to believe it was more closely related to today’s tiger. but genetic studies on ancient bones show it to be a lion. but according to cave artists, a unusual-looking lion.
b0nus: machairodus kabir
the smilodon may have earned its fame as the saber-tooth tiger, but the short tail and distinct body are unlike the modern tiger.
machairodus, on the other hand, was more like the giant saber-toothed tiger. This cat had tiger-like proportions and a long tail. there is no evidence of streaks or spots on the coat.
scientists have found fossils in chad, africa. studies also show it weighed over 1080 pounds, making it one of the largest cats of its time.
