Thylacosmilus

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Thylacosmilus Fossil range: Miocene to Early Pleistocene
Thylacosmilus atrox and Mesotherium
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Marsupiala Order: Sparassodonta Family: Thylacosmilidae Genus: Thylacosmilus Riggs, 1933
Species
T. atrox T. lentis

Thylacosmilus ("pouch sabre") was a genus of sabre-toothed marsupial predators that first appeared during the Miocene. Remains of the animal have been found in parts of South America, primarily Argentina. It was not a relative of the true saber-tooth cat, but rather a prime example of convergent evolution.

Contents 1 Description 2 In Popular Culture 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Description

Thylacosmilus had long, sabre-like upper canines and short, blunt, peg-like lower canines. The incisors were missing altogether and the other teeth were severely reduced, but, as distinct from machairods, their number was complete. ^[1]

Thylacosmilus' sabre-teeth kept growing throughout its life, unlike the sabres of true saber-tooths. It also had a pair of elongated, scabbard-like flanges growing from the lower jaw, which protected the sabre-teeth when it closed its mouth. The cervical vertebrae were very strong and to some extent resembled the vertebrae of machairods. ^[1]

It became extinct during the early Pleistocene as a result of the Great American Interchange, being outcompeted by true sabre-tooth cats such as Smilodon.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] In Popular Culture

In the Primeval spin-off book "Shadow of the Jaguar", the main antagonists are a pack of Thylacosmilus that are being controlled from an unknown bird from the future that looks like an Incan God. The Thylacosmilus in this book are described as being black panther-like.

[edit] References

• Evolution of the Earth by Donald R. Prothero, Jr., Robert H. Dott, Donald Prothero, and Jr., Robert Dott
• The Earth Through Time by Harold L. Levin
• Bringing Fossils To Life: An Introduction To Paleobiology by Donald R. Prothero

[edit] External links

• Thylacosmilus (marsupial sabre-tooth)
• Art by Maximo Salas
• Skull of Thylacosmilus
• Comparison of Thylacosmilus (upper) and Smilodon (below)

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