Kingdom Animalia Order Carnivora Subfamily †Machairodontinae Rank Tribe | Phylum Chordata Family Felidae Higher classification Machairodontinae | |
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Lower classifications Saber‑toothed tiger, Megantereon | ||
Smilodontini s opening
Smilodontini is an extinct tribe within the Machairodontinae or "saber-toothed cat" subfamily of the Felidae. The tribe is also known as the "dirk-toothed cats". They were endemic to South America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa during the Miocene to Pleistocene, from 10.3 mya—11,000 years ago, existing for approximately 10.289 million years.
As the name suggests, the famous genus of Smilodon is part of this group, but there are also three other distinct genera in Smilodontini. The earliest known genus of the tribe is Promegantereon, once thought to be a species of Paramachairodus. The tribe only became extinct 10,000 years ago, with the demise of Smilodon. All of these are saber-toothed cats, meaning that they have long narrow upper canines and stocky, well muscled proportions.