A fossilized skull of a sabre-toothed cat, complete with approximately seven-inch fangs, is scheduled to be auctioned next week and is anticipated to sell for as much as £1.5 million. The specimen, identified as Smilodon fatalis, an extinct apex predator, was unearthed in a sinkhole in Columbia County, Florida, in 2008. Scientific dating places the fossil between 11,000 and 70,000 years old.
Christie's is set to host the auction. The description for the sale notes the skull's significance, stating it "stands as a testament to the extremes of evolutionary adaptation at the close of the last Ice Age" and offers "both sculptural presence and scientific resonance—an immediately recognisable symbol of a vanished world."
Smilodon fatalis inhabited the Americas for approximately 2.5 million years, with its extinction occurring around 10,000 years ago. These large cats typically weighed between 160 and 280 kilograms (350 to 620 pounds), comparable to today's largest felines. Their most distinctive feature was their elongated canine teeth, which could grow up to seven inches long. The skull going to auction features teeth measuring just under that length, at six and three-quarter inches.
Experts theorize that these specialized teeth were not designed for crushing bone or prolonged struggles. Instead, Smilodon likely used them in conjunction with a wide gape, estimated up to 120 degrees, to deliver a precise, fatal bite to soft tissue, possibly the throat, leading to rapid injury. Another hypothesis suggests the skull and neck worked together to drive the canines into prey. This predatory strategy is considered highly specialized and unlike that of any modern carnivore.
These extinct predators are believed to have hunted large herbivores such as bison, camels, horses, and giant ground sloths. They would use their powerful forelimbs to immobilize prey before delivering the killing bite. Evidence suggests that early humans coexisted with Smilodon in the Americas for thousands of years before the species disappeared.
Research also indicates that Smilodon fatalis developed its signature long canines later in life compared to modern cats. Studies of specimens from the La Brea Tar Pits suggest that while most teeth developed by 14 to 22 months, the prominent fangs did not emerge until around three years of age, a delayed development compared to contemporary large felines. These exceptionally long teeth grew at a rapid rate once they appeared.
Smilodon fatalis belongs to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae, representing an evolutionary lineage distinct from modern big cats, characterized by significant cranial and dental specializations. Well-preserved skulls of display quality are considered extremely rare in private collections, making this specimen particularly notable.