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Many different creatures have roamed the Earth over the years, and scientists now have a better idea of when saber-tooth cats were around... quite possibly at the same time as humans:
Researchers who've analyzed the complete mitochondrial genomes from ancient samples representing two species of saber-toothed cats have a new take on the animals' history over the last 50,000 years. The data suggest that the saber-toothed cats shared a common ancestor with all living cat-like species about 20 million years ago. The two saber-toothed cat species under study diverged from each other about 18 million years ago.
"It's quite crazy that, in terms of their mitochondrial DNA, these two saber-toothed cats are more distant from each other than tigers are from house cats," says Johanna Paijmans at the University of Potsdam in Germany.
Paijmans and colleagues reconstructed the mitochondrial genomes from ancient-DNA samples representing three Homotherium from Europe and North America and one Smilodon specimen from South America. One of the Homotherium specimens under investigation is a unique fossil: a 28,000-year-old mandible recovered from the North Sea.
"When the first anatomically modern humans migrated to Europe, there may have been a saber-toothed cat waiting for them," Paijmans says.
Wikipedia entries on Homotherium and Smilodon.
Why do I have a sudden urge to sing the theme song to The Flintstones?
Journal Reference: Johanna L.A. Paijmans, et al. Evolutionary History of Saber-Toothed Cats Based on Ancient Mitogenomics. Current Biology, 2017; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.09.033
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday October 21 2017, @03:10PM
We had a cat, which had a litter of kittens. I wanted to look at them, and she didn't want me look at them. Arched back, fluffed tail, bared teeth. I says, "Relax, Kitty, I'm just going to eat a couple of them." Well, Kitty promised me that if I ate any of her kittens, she would come back and eat ALL of my babies. I laughed at her, until she reminded me about mountain lions, and saber toothed cats.
I just withdrew my hands, and found other business to attend to.
Only reason cats gave up those big saber teeth is, they domesticated us humans. Today's housecat is a direct descendant of the saber tooth.
Don't take some scientist's word for it - my cat told me of herstory. (and no, herstory never did refer to human women's versions of history, herstory was always about the cats)
“Take me to the Brig. I want to see the “real Marines”. – Major General Chesty Puller, USMC