An article published in Scientific Reports on November 14, 2024, provides important details about the saber-toothed cat mummy found in northeastern Russia.1
The discovery in question was made in 2020 in the Badyarikhskoe locality in the Sakha Republic of Russia. However, an article published in Scientific Reports last week reveals that the mummified carcass is a Homotherium latidens belonging to the extinct Machairodontinae subfamily.
According to the researchers, the saber-toothed cat was found almost intact in the freezing permafrost of Siberia for exactly 31,808 ± 367 years. The discovery of frozen remains of mammals from this period is extremely rare. Therefore, the discovery is considered a big step in paleontology, paleozoology, evolutionary biology and climate research.
Saber-toothed cats were a predatory species that lived in different parts of the world from 4 million years ago to 12,000 years ago. According to the article, this saber-toothed cat kitten is the first specimen that allows us to examine the external appearance of the extinct Homotherium latidens.
The fur of the found mummy is quite striking with its dark brown and soft texture. Researchers say that the short and dense fur of the saber-toothed cat was perfectly adapted to cold climates. According to the study, the cub’s paws were wide and rounded, allowing it to move easily over snow. These adaptations are critical to understanding how saber-toothed cats survived in harsh ice age conditions.
Scientists involved in the study determined that this saber-toothed cat was only 3 weeks old. Although it is not yet fully developed, it has the characteristic features of the Homotherium species. In particular, the width of its skull and its powerful front limbs reveal what kind of predator this species was. According to the article, the skull morphology of this kitten is similar to Homotherium fossils previously found in North America. This proves that the species spread over a wide geographical area.
Saber-toothed cats may be extinct, but this frozen mummy is helping us reimagine what they looked like and how they lived. According to the researchers, examining the cub’s appearance has allowed us to learn more about Homotherium’s lifestyle. For example, its small and low-set ears suggest that it evolved to minimize heat loss in cold climates. In addition, its wide mouth opening, combined with its powerful jaw muscles, shows how effective a hunter this cat was.
So how was this mummy preserved so well? Permafrost provides the perfect environment for organic material to decompose. The soil, which remains constantly below 0°C, has allowed both the saber-toothed cat and other fossil remains to remain virtually unchanged for tens of thousands of years. In fact, some scientists say that the remains found in permafrost could theoretically be preserved indefinitely. This means that more saber-toothed cat mummies could be found in the future. Who knows, maybe one day we could even witness the revival of this species using its DNA.
About the Homotherium Species
Homotherium is an important extinct member of the saber-toothed cat family. It emerged between the Pliocene and Pleistocene periods, approximately 4 million years ago, and survived until the last ice age. This species is particularly known for its large, saber-shaped teeth, but it also draws attention with its body structure and hunting strategy. This predator, which had a short, sturdy body and long legs, was a fast-running hunter. Its saber-shaped teeth, in particular, played a major role in neutralizing and killing its prey.
Homotherium fossils found in a wide geography such as Europe, Asia, Africa and North America show that this species had a wide distribution area. In North America, the subspecies called Homotherium serum is the most common fossil. Fossils in Europe and Asia generally belong to the Homotherium latidens species. To date, many Homotherium remains have been found in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Georgia, Tajikistan, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tunisia and Morocco.
In terms of hunting, Homotherium was a carnivore that fed on large herbivores. Its diet included mammoths, wild oxen, and other large mammals.
Although we do not have definitive information about Homotherium‘s social structure, it is thought that most large saber-toothed cats were generally solitary hunters.
The extinction of Homotherium is largely attributed to climate change and environmental factors. At the end of the Ice Age, increasing average temperatures and the decline of large game reduced the habitat of Homotherium and similar large carnivores and restricted their food sources.
- Lopatin, A.V., Sotnikova, M.V., Klimovsky, A.I. et al. Mummy of a juvenile sabre-toothed cat Homotherium latidens from the Upper Pleistocene of Siberia. Sci Rep 14, 28016 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-79546-1[↩]