Saber-toothed tigers were stronger than previously thought.

The destination of the huge canines of saber-toothed tigershas long been a cause of controversy between different scientists. Some researchers believe that the ancient cats killed their victims only with the help of sharp claws, and the canines were used only for piercing their soft necks. Other scientists are confident that the canines were so strong that they could well pierce the bones - they have recently appeared very convincing evidence of their theory.

Recently in the scientific journal Comptes Rendus Palevolthe results of a study were published, during which punctures were found on the skull of a saber-toothed tiger, allegedly made by the teeth of his relative. The openings are round, and the diameter corresponds to the size of the fangs of saber-toothed tigers.

Fangs of saber-toothed tigers could pierce skulls

This discovery reveals at once two interestingFacts about ancient cats. Firstly, their fangs really could be strong and deadly weapons, and secondly, they organized battles between themselves. This behavior can be noticed even in modern predators of the cat family, such as leopards, pumas, cheetahs and panthers.

Judging by the found skulls, saber-toothed bitestigers were not always deadly. On one of the samples, the hole is on the upper part of the nose, between the eyes - there was obviously a lot of pressure on the skull, but the owner clearly survived the attack.

Perhaps paleontologists are wrong

Meanwhile, some researchers refer toA new theory with much skepticism. According to them, the holes could have been made by the fangs of other large predators of those times, like huge bears. Also, they could have been left behind by the claws of the giant sloths of megatheria, or the hooves of another animal.

However, the shape and general features of the damagemost closely resemble the effects of the fangs of saber-toothed tigers. Researchers have yet another confirmation of their theory - the fossils found earlier by ancient battleships showed that saber-toothed cats killed them precisely with the help of their strong fangs.

For many, the big news may bethat the fossilized form is acquired only by a tiny fraction of the bones of ancient animals. To become a fossil, the bodies need special conditions about which you can read about in our material.

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