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

Abstract

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.

Neo-taphonomic analysis of the Misiam leopard lair from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania): understanding leopard–hyena interactions in open settings

“…Although there are substantial anatomical and adaptive differences between sabre-tooth felids and modern felids, it has recently been shown that despite their different dentitions, their carcass consumption behaviour produced very similar modification patterns [66]. For instance, the taphonomic analysis of a den of the homotherine Xenosmilus hodsonae showed a highly specialized prey profile ( Platygonus vetus ), with carcasses substantially modified during defleshing (including some compelling evidence of durophagy) [66]. The extensive defleshing documented on these carcasses led to destruction of the scapular blade, with occasional tooth-marking of the neck.…”

“…This makes their differentiation from other felids in the attribution of agency in ungulate accumulations in the fossil record more challenging. Their distinctive incisal tooth morphology and the resulting tooth-mark shapes may contribute to elucidate their role in prehistoric faunal accumulations [66].…”

Bone modifications by the giant hyaenaPachycrocuta brevirostrison large-sized ungulate carcasses from the Lower Pleistocene site of Tsiotra Vryssi (Mygdonia Basin, Greece)

“…Concerning Homotherium, tooth marks have been observed in juvenile mammoth remains of the Friesenhahn Cave Homotherium den with frequencies similar to modern hyaenids and canids, although punctures and notches were scarce (Marean and Ehrhardt 1995). The study of the Xenosmilus hodsonae modified assemblage at Haile 21A showed that this sabretooth generated relatively low long bone tooth mark frequencies, with only a few tooth marks per element (Domínguez-Rodrigo et al 2022). Compared to the TSR sample, the percentages of tooth-marked elements (displaying at least one pit, score, and/or puncture) are consistently lower across all long limb bones (Haile 21A (peccary)/TSR (equids): 17.2/72.7% for humeri, 11.0/.25.0 for radio-ulnae, 3.9/16.0 for metacarpals, 28.9/85.7 for femora, 11.7/61.5 for tibiae, and 3.4/30.4 for metatarsals).…”

“…Angles appear oblique in 54.7% of fractures, right in only 8.8%, while mixed angles are also common (36.5%). The high percentages of curved outlines, smooth edges and oblique angles (see Figure 12B, C) suggest that most studied fractures are green, indicating that they occurred when the bones were still in fresh condition (Villa and Mahieu 1991), i.e., retaining the edible tissues during the nutritive phase (Domínguez-Rodrigo et al 2022).…”

Computer simulation of scavenging by hominins and giant hyenas in the late Early Pleistocene

“…If hominins practised a flexible strategy of carrion acquisition, several foraging scenarios are possible 15 , 16 , 18 – 20 , 33 . It has been proposed that groups of hominins were capable of stealing the kills of large predators (confrontational scavenging or kleptoparasitism) 17 .…”