Editing Machairodus (section)

=== Predatory behavior === 
''Machairodus'' probably hunted as an ambush predator. Its legs were too short to sustain a long chase, so it most likely was a good jumper. Its teeth were rooted to its mouth and were as delicate as those in some related genera, unlike most saber-toothed cats and nimravids of the time, which often had extremely long canines which hung out of their mouths. The fangs of ''Machairodus'', however, were able to more easily fit in its mouth comfortably while being long and effective for hunting.<ref name = "Legendre">{{Cite journal |last=Legendre |first=S. |author2=Roth, C. |title=Correlation of carnassial tooth size and body weight in recent carnivores (Mammalia) |journal=Historical Biology |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=85–98 |year=1988 |doi=10.1080/08912968809386468 |bibcode=1988HBio....1...85L }}</ref> Studies of ''Machairodus'' indicate that the cat relied predominantly on its neck muscles to make the killing bite applied to its victims. The cervical vertebrae show clear adaptations to making vertical motions in the neck and skull. There are also clear adaptations for precise movements, strength, and flexibility in the neck that show compatibility with the canine-shearing bite technique that machairodontine cats are believed to have performed. These adaptations are believed to have also been partial compensation in this primitive machairodont against the high percentage of canine breakages seen in the genus.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/188/1/319/5581941?redirectedFrom=fulltext|doi = 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz086|title = The early evolution of the sabre-toothed felid killing bite: The significance of the cervical morphology of Machairodus aphanistus (Carnivora: Felidae: Machairodontinae)|year = 2020|last1 = Antón|first1 = Mauricio|last2 = Siliceo|first2 = Gema|last3 = Pastor|first3 = Juan Francisco|last4 = Morales|first4 = Jorge|last5 = Salesa|first5 = Manuel J.|journal = Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume = 188|pages = 319–342|doi-access = free}}</ref>

It is estimated that a {{cvt|136.8|kg}} ''M. aphanistus'' had a bite force of {{cvt|1,077.4|N|lbf|disp=or}} at the canines.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Christiansen |first=P. |year=2007 |title=Comparative bite forces and canine bending strength in feline and sabretooth felids: implications for predatory ecology |journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=151 |issue=2 |pages=423–437 |doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00321.x |doi-access=free}}</ref>