Tlw Rise of the Mammals 



small horns something like the antlers of a 

 deer, but they were indications of species yet 

 to come. 



The saber-toothed cats were the highest 

 types of carnivores among the animals of the 

 Miocene and Pliocene. They are so named 

 from their large, flattened, slightly curved ca- 

 nine teeth, which were very much longer than 

 the corresponding teeth of such animals as the 

 lion and tiger. Professor Cope suggested that 

 these canines were so large as to have been in 

 the way, and ultimately to have caused the de- 

 struction of the race by starvation. This, how- 

 ever, is a very dangerous inference to draw, since 

 it would apply with greater force to the walrus 

 and elephant, and it is doubtless incorrect. Dr. 

 Matthew considers that they were used for 

 piercing and tearing, and that the saber-toothed 

 cats killed their prey in this manner instead of by 

 biting, or by a blow of the paw. The majority 

 of these animals were of moderate size, from 

 that of a small leopard to that of a large puma, 

 and the very largest were about the stature 

 of a tiger. The length of the canine teeth 



245 



