Research overview: the social and pack-hunting hypothesis for Homotherium

This overview reviews arguments that Homotherium may have been a social, cooperatively hunting cat. Evidence cited includes accumulations of juvenile mammoth remains at sites like Friesenhahn Cave, suggesting organized predation on dangerous prey and the provisioning of cubs at a den, as well as anatomical and possible neurological indications of complex behaviour. Some genomic discussions have also raised the possibility of adaptations linked to social, daytime activity. The survey weighs these lines of evidence against the difficulty of demonstrating sociality in extinct animals, the alternative that carcass accumulations reflect repeated solitary visits, and comparisons with the contested social status of Smilodon. It frames Homotherium sociality as a plausible but unproven hypothesis that continues to motivate research.