Saber-toothed cats took care of sick relatives

Smilodons belong to the genus of saber-toothed cats,which appeared on Earth 2.5 million years ago, and became extinct about 10 thousand years ago, even earlier than mammoths disappeared from the face of the earth. These saber-toothed cats lived in the Americas. Most likely they originated from the megantereon that lived on Earth since the early Pliocene. Smildona is often called a saber-toothed tiger, but the name is not entirely incorrect. By studying the fossils of these animals, scientists have noticed that their pelvic bones often look afflicted with disease. Until the last moment, it was believed that this is due to infections and injuries received during the hunt. The fact is that large animals usually fell prey to smilodons. Saber-toothed cats pounced on them from ambush and drove their long fangs, at the same time grasping the body of the prey with their forepaws. With such an attack, the rear of the predator itself was vulnerable. Scientists came to this conclusion by studying the vertebrae of the lower spine, which often had traces of damage. However, this version turned out to be erroneous. The Los Angeles Museum of Natural History has concluded that bone damage is associated with hip dysplasia. This disease is common in domestic dogs and cats.

Saber-toothed cats often suffered from hip problems

Saber-toothed cats were often born disabled

New research published in ScientificReports, led by Museum Researcher Mairin Balisi in collaboration with orthopedic surgeons at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. The researchers used modern technologies such as computed tomography and 3D modeling, which are used in bone surgery and in the creation of prostheses.

“Computed tomography was used by ourresearch team to test the putative etiology of hip degeneration in Smilodon. It allowed us to observe anatomical distortions at a more granular level and create three-dimensional reconstructions to detect pathology, ”says Dr. Abhinav Sharma, co-author of the study.

The study of the bones of saber-toothed cats showed the presence of dysplasia

As a result of careful study of the internalthe structure of damaged bones, scientists concluded that the animal suffered from dysplasia. It is a congenital disease characterized by an underdeveloped joint. It is accompanied by limited leg mobility and severe lameness. Pathology is found not only in pets, but also in humans. It is treated exclusively by surgery, that is, a joint transplant.

Healthy saber-toothed cats share food with sick

For predators like smilodon, workjoints, especially the hip, which are subject to high stress, is a matter of survival. With such a disease, a predator cannot hunt, which means it is doomed to die of hunger at an early age. However, the bones that the scientists examined belonged to a large, adult animal. Since the predator himself could not hunt, most likely someone was courting him. According to the authors of the work, healthy individuals took care of sick smildones and shared food with them.

But this is not the only confirmation thatSmilodons took care of sick saber-toothed cats. Scientists have found traces of wound healing on the bones. Moreover, as they report, the wounds must be very serious, which made the animals unable to hunt or lead an active life. However, the healing of wounds suggests that someone did not let the animals die of hunger.

Smilodons could not hunt with damaged bones or joints

Most likely the smilodons could be gooddeveloped social behavior. In particular, they rescued each other and supported, preventing them from dying in difficult situations. True, in modern cats this behavior is not observed, with the exception of lions. But, it should be borne in mind that smildon belong to a separate group of cats, which are very different from modern tigers, leopards and lions.

The collection of the museum contains about 8000 samplesfossils of bones with various injuries - injuries and signs of disease. This suggests that problems with the musculoskeletal system in animals were not uncommon. It is possible that because of this, they developed an instinct for mutual assistance.

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At the same time, do not forget that the conclusionsmade by scientists on indirect grounds. It is not possible to find out what was the social life of extinct animals in reality. It is possible that sick smildones were looking for alternative food options for themselves, for example, they switched to carrion or ate small animals. It is quite possible that someday humanity will have the opportunity to observe these animals and get accurate answers to questions regarding their behavior. This will be possible if scientists manage to revive them.