Research overview: Thylacosmilus, the marsupial-relative sabertooth

This overview examines Thylacosmilus, a South American sparassodont metatherian that convergently evolved a striking sabertooth form despite being only distantly related to placental cats. It bore ever-growing upper canines protected by prominent bony flanges on the lower jaw, but differed from true sabercats in many details, including reduced incisors and unusual eye placement. Recent biomechanical and morphological studies have questioned whether Thylacosmilus killed prey like a felid sabertooth at all, with some proposing it was a specialized feeder on soft internal organs or a scavenger rather than an active large-prey hunter. The survey reviews these reinterpretations, the animal's role as a top predator in pre-interchange South America, and what it reveals about convergence and its limits.