The iconic saber-toothed tigers did not disappear in a catastrophic event as their prey disappeared for millions of years and they slowly starved to death.
Research published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology shows that the decline of these terrifying predators began with the extinction of giants during the final ice age, driven by the gradual decrease in available prey, which made their professional hunting strategies unsustainable.
This study challenges the popular idea that the saber-toothed cat suddenly disappeared 11,000 years ago with mammoths and huge ground laziness. Instead, it shows patterns of extinction spanning millions of years, each of which coincides with the period when large herbivores became scarce.
A 20 million-year-old evolutionary detective story
Researchers at Brazil State University State University analyzed 20 million-year fossil databases, body size estimates and climate data from North America and Eurasia. This comprehensive approach allows them to track how the relationship of predators affects the rise and fall of these professional hunters.
João Nascimento, who led the research during his PhD study, found that the extinction pattern began much earlier than previously thought: “In the history of the group, there were several different species of saber-toothed cats. Our study showed that in the history of the group, the extinction of lower predation usually occurred throughout the group’s history.”
Analysis shows that saber-toothed cats reached peak diversity 8 million years ago, with eight species coexisting. Their population remained stable until about 6 million years ago, when diversity began to decline and eventually stabilized on five species before eventually extinction.
Professional price
Sabertoothed cats evolved extraordinary elongated dogs (sometimes 7 inches long), which made them very effective in killing large prey. But when climate change changes landscapes and prey availability, this specialty becomes their downfall.
The main findings of the study include:
- Climate-driven habitat loss: Increase drought-swelling grasslands while reducing forests, preferring large browsers over large browsers
- Difficulty in switching prey: Specialized anatomy prevents adapting to smaller, more agile prey
- Timing Relevance: Most saber-tooth extinction occurs when prey abundance reaches the lowest point of each species
- Geographical Mode: North American extinction is most correlated with the reduction of Equidae diversity
The study shows how evolutionary professions become an evolutionary trap when environmental conditions change rapidly.
Two stories about evolutionary pressure
In a peer study published in Theory of Evolution, the same research team studied the flip aspect of this predator-fishing relationship by studying the antigen of antinucleic acid-modern pronghorn antelope that is antigens. These herbivores once owned dozens of species in the North American landscape, but now they can survive as a species.
The decline in chlorodipara resistance reveals how increased predator diversity drives prey extinction. The emergence of new FELID species, including American cheetahs suitable for high-speed hunting, put unprecedented pressure on these herbivores. This predation pressure could explain why modern pronghorns evolved into one of the fastest terrestrial animals in North America.
Mathias Pires, who oversees the study, highlights the broader significance: “The huge contribution of this set of studies accurately presents the idea that the interaction between predators and prey can influence large-scale evolutionary patterns. This has been debated for decades, but there are no truly powerful results to support this hypothesis.”
Lessons from modern protection
The study provides key insights into current extinction patterns. By analyzing how predator relations shape evolutionary history, scientists can better predict how modern ecosystems respond to ongoing environmental changes.
An extensive fossil database from North America and Eurasia made the study possible, which includes detailed information on body size, diet and time distribution. These freely available online resources allow researchers to estimate when species appear and become extinct, and which animals coexist and interact during the same period.
These findings reveal a periodic pattern: environmental changes reduce prey availability, which increases predators’ extinction risk, which in turn affects future prey evolution. This dynamic continues to work as human activities drive habitat loss and species extinction.
Pires ended with a stunning warning: “We are showing how the increase in predators reduces the availability of prey, which in turn reduces the abundance of predators and how this manifests itself in evolutionary scope. This is a warning about how the extinction institutions we are causing now change the future.”
Research shows that even apex predators are not immune to the consequences of environmental changes. Despite its reputation and evolution success over millions of years, this powerful saber-toothed cat ultimately cannot escape the basic ecological truths of predators’ survival that are entirely dependent on prey.
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