Sci-Five | The Hindu Science Quiz: On sabre tooth tigers
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What is the scientific name for the popularly known “sabre tooth tiger”?
- Therapsid
- Smilodon
- Machairodontidae
- Felis catus
While popularly used, the term “sabre tooth tiger” is incorrect, since they are not felines. The sabre tooth tiger is also known as the Smilodon. Saber tooth tigers belong to the extinct machairodont genus.
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How long could the canines of a sabre tooth tiger grow?
- 3 inches
- 5 inches
- 7 inches
- 10 inches
A sabre-toothed tiger’s canines could grow over 7 inches in length. The sabre tooth tiger’s teeth were curved and narrow, with sharp edges that they used to slice through the soft tissues of prey.
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What is the maximum angle to which a sabre tooth tiger could open its jaws?
- 90°
- 100°
- 150°
- 120°
Sabre-toothed tigers had almost comically capacious bites: these felines could open their jaws to a snake-worthy angle of 120 degrees, or about twice as wide as a modern lion.
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When was the first sabre tooth tiger fossil discovered?
- 15th century
- 18th century
- 19th century
- 20th century
Fossils of Smilodon were discovered in North America from the second half of the 19th century onwards. In 1869, American palaeontologist Joseph Leidy described a maxilla fragment with a molar, which had been discovered in a petroleum bed in Hardin County, Texas.
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Approximately when did the sabre tooth tiger go extinct?
- 10,000 years ago
- 5,000 years ago
- 15,000 years ago
- 8,000 years ago
Smilodon died out at the same time that most North and South American megafauna disappeared, about 10,000 years ago. Its reliance on large animals has been proposed as the cause of its extinction.
NextPublished - January 25, 2024 05:30 pm IST