Submitted by Waspie Dwarf: The sabretooth tiger may have looked a fearsome sight with its massive canines but its reputation takes something of a knock with a new piece of research. Scientists who have studied the extinct creature's skull in detail say it had a relatively weak bite - compared with, say, a modern lion. And although those fangs must have been amazing killing implements, they made for a very restricted hunting strategy. The scientists report their work in the journal PNAS. They say the sabretooth in many respects was a one-trip killing machine. While it would have been a ruthlessly efficient hunter of big game, it was simply over-engineered for taking small prey - and that would have made it extremely vulnerable when times got hard. "It's one of the golden rules of palaeontology," observed Colin McHenry of the University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia. "Specialisation is short term-success but it is long-term risk; because as soon as the ecosystem becomes destabilised, you're the first candidate to go extinct. It's the generalists that get through," he told BBC News. Long debate The team used a technique known as finite element analysis to study the skull of the sabretooth (Smilodon fatalis), which ranged across North America thousands of years ago. The approach is a common one in advanced design and manufacturing, and allows engineers to test the performance of load-bearing materials, such as the metal in the body and wings of an aeroplane. CT (X-ray) scans were taken of the tiger's remains to construct a high-resolution digital model in a computer. This simulation was then loaded with forces to see how the skull, jaw, teeth and muscles would have coped with the mechanical stresses and strains experienced during predation.A model of a modern lion (Panthera leo) was developed for comparison. Once the densities of its favoured large prey dropped below critical levels - it was doomed Dr Steve Wroe, UNSW The intention of the research was "to put to bed over 150 years of debate regarding key aspects of the sabrecat's modus operandi", said co-worker Dr Steve Wroe from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney.
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