Body size of Smilodon (Mammalia: Felidae)

This study estimated body mass across the species of Smilodon using regression relationships between skeletal dimensions and body weight in living felids. The analysis confirmed that the South American Smilodon populator was the largest, with the heaviest individuals plausibly exceeding the mass of any living big cat, while the North American Smilodon fatalis and the smaller, earlier Smilodon gracilis spanned lighter ranges. The authors also examined how the robust, muscular build of these cats departed from the proportions of modern lions and tigers, reinforcing reconstructions of sabertooths as powerful, ambush-oriented predators rather than pursuit hunters. The mass estimates remain widely cited reference values in studies of sabertooth ecology, biomechanics, and prey selection.