I was always puzzled how these cats actually fed. These sabre toots seem to get in the way of feeding and chewing.
Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
11–20 of 37 posts
Re: Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
#12I was always puzzled how these cats actually fed. These sabre toots seem to get in the way of feeding and chewing.
I know I'd certainly be discouraged from feeding if I got the sabre toots.
Re: Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
#13I was always puzzled how these cats actually fed. These sabre toots seem to get in the way of feeding and chewing.
> These sabre toots seem to get in the way of feeding and chewing.
Why? They don't stop the mouth from closing. Presumably they don't stop it from opening either.
Compare walruses, elephants, and pigs.
Re: Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
#14I think the study makes a giant presumptive leap to assume inbreeding was the cause of the higher-than-modern-human incidences of spinal tumors. It's irresponsible to assert this to be true instead of one of several possible explanations.
Yep. For instance it could be from higher cosmic ray penetration into the earth during the last geomagnetic excursion.
Re: Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
#15I was always puzzled how these cats actually fed. These sabre toots seem to get in the way of feeding and chewing.
> These sabre toots seem to get in the way of feeding and chewing. Why? They don't stop the mouth from closing. Presumably they don't stop it from opening either. Compare walruses, elephants, and pigs.
> Compare walruses, elephants, and pigs.
Three animals that are well known for their apex predator hunting prowess
Re: Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
> These sabre toots seem to get in the way of feeding and chewing. Why? They don't stop the mouth from closing. Presumably they don't stop it from opening either. Compare walruses, elephants, and pigs.
> Compare walruses, elephants, and pigs. Three animals that are well known for their apex predator hunting prowess
Was the question more about ability to hunt, or ability to chew?
Re: Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
#17Re: Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
#18Earlier quoted context omitted.
The study and the summary do not "assume" that the cause was inbreeding. They both assert that inbreeding could be a cause. The article says "The team suspects these deformities and tumors indicate a lengthy history of inbreeding". The paper abstract says "possibly because of an accumulation of expressed deleterious alleles that caused disturbances in developmental processes". It's perfectly ok for scientists to writ…
An assertion without conclusive evidence is an assumption.
They are not asserting a fact. They are asserting a possibility. Asserting a possibility is not an assumption.
Re: Saber-toothed cats became inbred–and struggled to move–before they went extinct
#19I was always puzzled how these cats actually fed. These sabre toots seem to get in the way of feeding and chewing.
Cats don't really chew much anyway. If sabre-tooths have a rough tongue like other cats, they can probably scour flesh off bones with that with little need to work over the meat with their teeth.