In a monumental discovery for paleontology and the first of its kind "Mummy of a juvenile sabre-toothed cat Homotherium latidens from the Upper Pleistocene of Siberia"
Abstract The frozen mummy of the large felid cub was found in the Upper Pleistocene permafrost on the Badyarikha River (Indigirka River basin) in the northeast of Yakutia, Russia. The study of the specimen appearance showed its significant differences from a modern lion cub of similar age (three weeks) in the unusual shape of the muzzle with a large mouth opening and small ears, the very massive neck region, the elongated forelimbs, and the dark coat color. Tomographic analysis of the mummy skull revealed the features characteristic of Machairodontinae and of the genus Homotherium. For the first time in the history of paleontology, the appearance of an extinct mammal that has no analogues in the modern fauna has been studied. For more read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-79546-1
I always knew it was possible, but I never dared to hope.
OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH LOOK AT THIS WE HAVE A SABERCAT MUMMY AAAAAAA
We now have concrete evidence for what saber-toothed kittens (well, at least one species) looked like in real life, and that can in turn help inform what the adults looked like!
To summarize the main points from the paper:
- Seems like they were dark brown, with longer fur on the neck and back than on the legs; some of the photos make the mummy look almost shaggy. I don't see any obvious spots or other patterning, but the muzzle and paws look to be a little lighter in colour.
- They had what seems to be a "moustache" of longer fur at the corners of their mouth (Or maybe "sideburns", more like a lynx; it's hard to tell from the photos, and the paper just says "In the region of the mouth corner, the hair is significantly elongated". It also looks to me like there's a bit of a beard going on in the chin region, but I can't say for sure).
- The ears were small and round, as would be expected from an animal from a cold climate. The nose was typically feline, but the upper lips were more than twice as long as a lion's, proportionally; maybe there's something to the "bulldog" hypothesis after all.
- The paws are short and rounded, with no carpal pad (wrist bean). The paper doesn't bring it up (and it might just be an artifact of preservation) but in the figure the toe beans look like they're covered in fur, like a lynx? I could be wrong, though. In any case, the shape and structure of the foot look like adaptations to walking on snow.
- Everything else about its proportions and muscle distribution was about what you'd expect based on the skeletons of the adults; powerfully built neck and arms,
In conclusion, this is the most exciting thing I've seen all year and I NEED to find the time to draw a mama Homotherium caring for her babies in the middle of winter
