Sabertooth carcass consumption behavior and the dynamics of Pleistocene large carnivoran guilds

Apex predators play an important role in the top-down regulation of ecological communities. Their hunting and feeding behaviors influence, respectively, prey demography and the availability of resources to other consumers. Among the most iconic-and enigmatic-terrestrial predators of the late Cenozoic are the Machairodontinae, a diverse group of big cats whose hypertrophied upper canines have earned them the moniker sabertooths. Many aspects of these animals' paleobiology, especially their prey preferences and carcass consumption behavior, remain unsettled. While skeletal anatomy, dental morphology and wear, and isotopic profiles provide important insights, the most direct way to resolve these issues is through the fossil remains of sabertooth prey. Here, we report on a taphonomic analysis of an early Pleistocene faunal assemblage from Haile 21A (Florida, USA) that preserves feeding damage from the lion-sized sabertooth Xenosmilus hodsonae. Patterns of tooth-marking and bone damage indicate that Xenosmilus fully defleshed the carcasses of their prey and even engaged in some minor bone consumption. This has important implications for Pleistocene carnivoran guild dynamics, including the carcass foraging behavior of the first stone-tool-using hominins.

Automated summary

Apex predators, such as the sabertooths, have a significant impact on ecological communities through their hunting and feeding behaviors. However, many aspects of these predators' biology, including their prey preferences and carcass consumption behavior, remain uncertain. By analyzing fossil remains from Haile 21A in Florida, researchers have discovered that the lion-sized sabertooth Xenosmilus hodsonae fully defleshed its prey's carcasses and even consumed some bones. This finding provides important insights into the dynamics of Pleistocene carnivores and the hunting behavior of early hominins.