zpostcode
How Big Were Saber-Toothed Cats Compared to Tigers?
Dec 17, 2025 9:03 AM

  

How Big Were Saber-Toothed Cats Compared to Tigers?1

  Smilodon Now extinct, saber-toothed cats (such as those in the genus Smilodon) were large carnivores that lived during the Ice Age. (more) How Big Were Saber-Toothed Cats Compared to Tigers? Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/animal/How-Big-Were-Saber-Toothed-Cats-Compared-to-Tigers Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

  External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Sep 18, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot Saber-toothed cats in the genus Smilodon were comparable in length and height to Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) but were generally more robust, stockier, and heavier. The species S. populator, however, was considerably larger and more robust than modern big cats, including lions and tigers, with some estimates placing its weight at as much as 400 kg (880 pounds), making it one of the largest cats to ever live. By comparison, S. fatalis weighed between 160 and 280 kg (350 and 620 pounds), which is within the range of today’s largest tigers. Saber-toothed cats were built very differently from tigers. ...(100 of 217 words)

  Continue reading with Britannica Premium The trusted destination for facts and information 7-Day Free Trial, No Ads, Unlimited Access Subscribe Today

Comments
Welcome to zpostcode comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Recommend >
These 8 Buildings Will Make You See Norway in a New Light
      Norway, by some estimates, is two-thirds mountainous, and about half of its population lives in the south of the country, where its capital, Oslo, is located. These eight contemporary buildings will give you another lens through which to see this Scandinavian country.   Earlier versions of the descriptions of these buildings first appeared in 1001 Buildings You Must...
lo-fi music
  lo-fi music, genre of music production in which a recording is intentionally rendered to include imperfections, such as harmonic distortion, background noise, or other anomalous sounds. Such irregularities are normally filtered out of professional recordings, since they generally are undesirable. However, some artists have embraced the limitations of low-quality recording, leveraging imperfections as an artistic choice. The term lo-fi is...
spectacled caiman
  spectacled caiman, (Caiman crocodilus), species of alligator-like reptiles common to swamps, other wetlands, and waterways in Central America and northern South America. The spectacled caiman takes its name from its most prominent distinguishing feature, a bony ridge between the eyes that resembles the nosepiece of a pair of eyeglasses. The species has adapted to a wide variety of habitats, and...
The Largest Islands in the World
      Quite a few islands around the world are very large, and many of them are countries. Australia is technically an island because it is unconnected to any other body of land, but it is more commonly considered a continental landmass. Of the seven continents, Australia is the smallest, at 2,969,976 square miles, or 7,692,202 square kilometers. However,...
Information Recommendation
megamouth shark
     megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios)Schoolchildren looking into the tooth-lined mouth of a 4.2-meter- (13.8-foot-) long preserved megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios) specimen at Tokai University Marine Science Museum in Shizuoka, Japan.(more)megamouth shark, (Megachasma pelagios), species of large filter-feeding sharks inhabiting the continental shelf and open-ocean regions of tropical and temperate oceans worldwide. The species is found between latitudes 40° N and...
American crocodile
     American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) basking in the sun in Costa Rica. Usually solitary, the reptiles bask for most of the day and then enter the water during the evening to hunt.(more)American crocodile, (Crocodylus acutus), moderately large species of crocodile inhabiting forests and freshwater environments, as well as brackish and marine intertidal environments, in Florida, Central America,...
Quetzalcoatlus
  Quetzalcoatlus, genus made up of two species of giant pterosaurs classified in the family Azhdarchidae, which contains some of the largest known flying animals. Both species lived during the Maastrichtian Age (72.1 million to 66 million years ago) of the Cretaceous Period. One of them, Quetzalcoatlus northropi, is widely believed to have been the largest flying creature that ever lived....
tarantula hawk
  tarantula hawk, (genus Pepsis), genus of about 130 species of spider wasps that paralyze spiders to feed their larval young. Tarantula hawks are found on every continent except Europe and Antarctica and are especially common in the southwestern United States through Central America. The tarantula hawk’s sting is said to be one of the most painful insect stings in the...
American alligator
  American alligator, (Alligator mississippiensis), species of alligator inhabiting freshwater rivers, lakes, and swamps and brackish waters in the Southern U.S. and northeastern Mexico. The alligator’s geographic range extends from the Mexican states of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas northeastward to Oklahoma and Arkansas and eastward through the Gulf Coast to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. The species is...
reticulated python
     reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus)Reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) coiling around a branch. One individual of this species of Asian python attained a length of 10 meters (32.8 feet).(more)reticulated python, (Malayopython reticulatus), species of giant constricting snake belonging to the python family, Pythonidae, and known for being the longest living snake in the world, with the largest recorded individual measuring 10...
Arthropleura
  Arthropleura, genus of exceptionally large extinct millipede-like arthropods that thrived from the Viséan Age of the Carboniferous Period to the Asselian Age of the Permian Period (346.7 million to 293.52 million years ago) and are known from their fossilized exoskeletons. Members of Arthropleura are the largest known arthropods in Earth’s history, with an estimated length exceeding 2.6 meters (8.5 feet)—roughly...
Burmese python
  Burmese python, (Python bivittatus), species of constrictor snake that is native to various environments in southern and Southeast Asia, including several islands in Indonesia, and is known for its exceptional size and its environmental adaptability. Burmese pythons inhabit mangrove forests, rainforests, swamps, grasslands, rivers, and rocky areas, in a range extending from Nepal, Bangladesh, northeastern India, and Myanmar (Burma) eastward...