Example of the morphological variation observed in the cranium of felids and nirmavids with species exhibiting both short and long upper canines. Credit: Narimane Chatar / University of LiègeIn a groundbreaking study, an international team of scientists explored the evolutionary development of sabre teeth, revealing a complex continuum of cranial forms and accelerated evolutionary rates in sabre-toothed.
“From a morphological point of view, the skull of a present-day small cat is just as strange and modified as that of a large sabre-toothed felid,” says Dr. Margot Michaud, a researcher at the University of French Guyana in Cayenne. These are therefore the two extremes of a continuum of forms that feline predators have seen evolve over geological time.
“Among other fascinating discoveries, we have shown that craniomandibular integration in sabre-toothed species is reduced, facilitating greater adaptability and diversification in the jaw and cranial morphology,” points out Margot Michaud.