SCIENCE IN THE NEWS DAILY
How a Sabretooth Cat Bit Down
from BBC News Online
The mystery of how prehistoric
sabretoothed cats coped with their
oversized teeth has been solved in
part by a new analysis of the cats'
jaws.
To impale prey with these
impressive weapons, the famous
sabretoothed cats must have opened
their mouths wider than any modern
big cat, but it was unclear if their
jaw muscles were strong enough to do
it.
Now the new analysis reveals that
the cats' jaw muscles evolved into a
specialised pattern, which allowed
them to open their mouths so wide.
Details are reported in the
Zoological Journal of the
Linnean Society.
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