The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives

This influential book provides a comprehensive illustrated survey of the cat family and its extinct members, combining scientific synthesis with detailed reconstructions of fossil felids and their sabertooth relatives. It covers the evolutionary history of cats from their early origins through the radiations of conical-toothed and sabertoothed forms, the anatomy and inferred behaviour of key genera such as Smilodon, Homotherium, Megantereon, and the great pantherines, and the methods by which palaeontologists reconstruct the appearance and habits of long-dead predators. Pairing accessible text with anatomically informed artwork, the volume became a standard reference that shaped how both specialists and general readers visualize fossil cats. It remains widely cited for its integration of skeletal evidence with vivid, evidence-based restorations of extinct felid life.