What are the Machairodontinae?
Q: What are the Machairodontinae?
A: The Machairodontinae are a subfamily of mammalian carnivora of the family Felidae (true cats) and were the last surviving group of sabre-toothed cats.
Q: What is the relationship between Machairodontinae and felines?
A: The Machairodontinae are a sister group of the felines (Felinae).
Q: Where did Machairodontinae live?
A: Machairodontinae lived in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Europe from the Miocene to the Pleistocene.
Q: How long did Machairodontinae survive?
A: Machairodontinae survived from about 23 million until about 11,000 years ago.
Q: What is the famous genus within the Machairodontinae subfamily?
A: The famous genus within the Machairodontinae subfamily is Smilodon.
Q: Were all cats in the Machairodontinae subfamily the same?
A: No, not all cats in the Machairodontinae subfamily had long canines. Homotherium was a cat with canines that were not as long.
Q: Were sabretoothed cats successful predators?
A: Yes, it is evident that sabretoothed cats were successful as ambush predators, as the sabretooth adaptation evolved a number of times in different carnivore lines.
