Image: Scientific Reports
However, this prehistoric predator doesn’t seem scary – the kitten was just three weeks old when it died. As the research group reports in the journal “Scientifc Reports”, the animal was discovered in 2020 near the Badjaricha River in the Yakutia region, above the Arctic Circle.
It was probably preserved there in a chunk of ice for thousands of years. Using radiocarbon dating, the scientists determined that the saber-toothed cat lived around 35,500 to 37,000 years ago, i.e. in the late Pleistocene. According to the researchers, the kitten belonged to the now extinct species Homotherium latidens. Although these are correctly saber-toothed cats, they are also often referred to as saber-toothed tigers.
Small ears and a thick neck
The kitten’s head and even individual whiskers, the front legs with the clawed paws and the front body of the animal are preserved in detail. Bones from the hips and hind legs were also found.
Image: Scientific Reports
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Image: Scientific Reports
Source: Nachrichten
