Flexi Says: Saber-toothed cats, or sabertooths, is a general term for multiple fossil carnivore species that were characterized by very large, dagger-like canine teeth. Many species of sabertooths existed throughout the Cenozoic Era, with the most recent species going extinct around 10,000 years ago. Although they are often called cats, saber-toothed species were not limited to the feline family (Felidae). In fact, there were even saber-toothed marsupials. None of the saber-toothed species have living descendants. They were not closely related to modern big cats, like tigers or panthers. The term "saber-toothed tiger" usually refers to members of the genus Smilodon, the California State Fossil and the second most common fossil mammal found in the La Brea tar pits.
