Supermodeled sabercat, predatory behavior in Smilodon fatalis revealed by high-resolution 3D computer simulation

Using finite element analysis, the authors built a high-resolution digital model of a Smilodon fatalis skull and compared its mechanical performance against a modern lion. The simulations showed that the sabertooth skull was relatively weak when subjected to forces generated purely by its own jaw muscles, far weaker than the lion under equivalent loading. This implied that Smilodon could not rely on a powerful sustained bite to subdue prey. Instead the model supported a killing strategy in which the immensely muscular forelimbs and body immobilized the victim, after which a precise, rapid canine shear-bite to the throat delivered the kill. The study became a landmark demonstration of how engineering methods can reconstruct the predatory mechanics of extinct carnivores.