The
sabre-toothed Thylacosmilus atrox might have had teeth the size of
knives, but new research reveals its bite was "embarrassing".
To investigate Thylacosmilus's bite, researchers created biomechanical
models of its skull and compared it to models of Smilodon and a leopard.
The results showed that the jaw muscles of Thylacosmilus simply
couldn't deliver a powerful bite - the team described its bite
as "less powerful than a domestic cat" and its jaw muscles as
"embarrassing". Previous research had demonstrated that Smilodon had a
weak bite, but the bite of Thylacosmilus was even weaker.
However, the Thylacosmilus skull outperformed the others when it came to
resisting forces from neck-driven bites. Thylacosmilus would have held
down its prey with its thick forelimbs while its neck muscles drove the
huge canines into the helpless animal (most likely into its prey's
neck). Robust forearms were especially important to a sabre-tooth's
attack - if the bite was not placed carefully or its prey twisted, the
fragile canines could break.
These attack methods are almost
identical to what previous studies concluded about how Smilodon
attacked. Both predators have robust forearms, powerful neck muscles and
large-but-fragile canines. However, Thylacosmilus was more specialised
for the lifestyle - it had stronger neck muscles, weaker bite force and
its teeth have roots almost in its braincase.
It's easy to
assume Smilodon and Thylacosmilus were closely related, but the two are
actually a stunning example of convergent evolution. While Smilodon was a
true cat, Thylacosmilus was a marsupial and had a pouch. Scientists
believe they were separated by around 125 million years of evolution,
when the placental and marsupial lines diverged. Thylacosmilus also
lived earlier, going extinct 3.5 million years ago, while Smilodon
roamed North America until 10,000 years ago.
To read the paper: http://bit.ly/16BMHb8
Image credit: DiBgd.
http://
http://www.livescience.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
To investigate Thylacosmilus's bite, researchers created biomechanical models of its skull and compared it to models of Smilodon and a leopard. The results showed that the jaw muscles of Thylacosmilus simply couldn't deliver a powerful bite - the team described its bite as "less powerful than a domestic cat" and its jaw muscles as "embarrassing". Previous research had demonstrated that Smilodon had a weak bite, but the bite of Thylacosmilus was even weaker.
However, the Thylacosmilus skull outperformed the others when it came to resisting forces from neck-driven bites. Thylacosmilus would have held down its prey with its thick forelimbs while its neck muscles drove the huge canines into the helpless animal (most likely into its prey's neck). Robust forearms were especially important to a sabre-tooth's attack - if the bite was not placed carefully or its prey twisted, the fragile canines could break.
These attack methods are almost identical to what previous studies concluded about how Smilodon attacked. Both predators have robust forearms, powerful neck muscles and large-but-fragile canines. However, Thylacosmilus was more specialised for the lifestyle - it had stronger neck muscles, weaker bite force and its teeth have roots almost in its braincase.
It's easy to assume Smilodon and Thylacosmilus were closely related, but the two are actually a stunning example of convergent evolution. While Smilodon was a true cat, Thylacosmilus was a marsupial and had a pouch. Scientists believe they were separated by around 125 million years of evolution, when the placental and marsupial lines diverged. Thylacosmilus also lived earlier, going extinct 3.5 million years ago, while Smilodon roamed North America until 10,000 years ago.
To read the paper: http://bit.ly/16BMHb8
Image credit: DiBgd.
http://
http://www.livescience.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
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