Research overview: hyoid anatomy and vocalization in Smilodon

This overview reviews what the preserved hyoid bones of Smilodon suggest about the sounds the sabertooth may have made. In living cats, the structure of the hyoid apparatus correlates with whether a species can roar, as in lions and tigers, or purr, as in smaller felids. La Brea has yielded numerous Smilodon hyoids, allowing researchers to compare their form against modern pantherines and felines. The survey discusses competing interpretations of whether the sabertooth was more lion-like or cat-like in its vocal capacity, the limits of inferring soft-tissue function from bone, and why the question matters for reconstructing sabertooth communication and the contested issue of whether these animals lived and hunted in social groups.