Editing Homotherium (section)

==Description==
[[File:Homotherium latidens scale diagram.svg|thumb|200x200px|Size comparison of ''Homotherium latidens'' compared to a human]]
''Homotherium'' reached a length of around {{convert|1.5-2|m|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|0.9-1.1|m|abbr=on}} at the shoulder and a maximum weight of around {{convert|200|kg|abbr=on}}, comparable in size to a living [[lion]] or [[tiger]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Serangeli |first1=Jordi |last2=Van Kolfschoten |first2=Thijs |last3=Starkovich |first3=Britt M. |last4=Verheijen |first4=Ivo |date=December 2015 |title=The European saber-toothed cat (Homotherium latidens) found in the "Spear Horizon" at Schöningen (Germany) |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0047248415002092 |journal=Journal of Human Evolution |language=en |volume=89 |pages=172–180 |doi=10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.08.005|bibcode=2015JHumE..89..172S }}</ref>
''Homotherium'' probably exhibited size-based [[sexual dimorphism]], with males suggested to be larger than females.<ref name=":4" /> Compared to ''Smilodon'', the legs were proportionally longer, and the forelimbs were less powerfully built, being narrow and intermediate in form between those of [[cheetah]]s and [[lion]]s. The neck was relatively long and thick with a high degree of flexibility, while the back was relatively short. The tail was very short. The claws were small and semi-retractable, the [[dewclaw]] being large, with the second phalanges being less asymmetrical than those of lions, giving the feet a dog-like posture. The part of the humerus closest to the foot was narrow, with the [[olecranon fossa]] being strongly vertical. The hindfeet were held in a raised [[digitigrade]] posture. ''Homotherium'' likely walked with a posture intermediate between that of living big cats and [[hyena]]s, similar to that of [[Canidae|canids]].<ref name="antón 2022" />
{{Multiple image
| image1            = Homotherium crenatidens skull 45.jpg
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| image2            = Homotherium serum skull Cincinnati Museum.jpg
| image3            = Homotherium skull.jpg
| footer            = Skulls of ''Homotherium''; 1. ''H. latidens/crenatidens''; 2. ''H. serum''; 3. Generalized illustration by [[Mauricio Anton]]
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| image1            = Homotherium latidens cub mummy fig1.webp
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| image2            = Homotherium latidens cub mummy fig2 (cropped).webp
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| image3            = Homotherium cub skull (cropped).png
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| footer            = [[Natural mummy]] of a three-week old ''H. latidens'' cub from [[Yakutia]], Russia.
}}{{gallery
|||Smilodon and Homotherium.jpg|Comparison between the skeletons and [[Paleoart|reconstruction]]s of ''[[Smilodon]]'' (left) and ''Homotherium'' (right)
|Busto de Homotherium.png|Life restoration of the head and neck of ''Homotherium latidens''|Homotherium life reconstruction.png|Life restoration of ''Homotherium latidens''
|width=185|noborder=yes|align=center|whitebg=no|title=Life restorations of ''Homotherium''}}In comparison to its likely ancestor ''Amphimachairodus'', the upper [[incisor]]s display stronger serration, are larger and more arched, the upper second [[premolar]] (P2) is always absent, and the upper and lower third premolars (P3 and p3) are smaller, and the morphology of the upper fourth premolar (P4) displays differences.<ref name="jiangzuo etal 2022" /> Compared to living [[Pantherinae|pantherine]] big cats such as tigers and lions, ''Homotherium'' has a more elongate and narrower skull with a more elevated snout region, with the top of the skull (dorsal region) having a more straight outline with a high [[sagittal crest]].<ref name=":1" /> ''Homotherium'' had shorter upper [[Canine tooth|canine teeth]] than members of the machairodont tribe [[Smilodontini]] such as ''Smilodon'' or ''[[Megantereon]]'', but these were still longer than those of extant cats.<ref name="antón 2022">{{Cite book |last=Antón |first=Mauricio |url= |title=The ''Homotherium'' Finds from Schöningen 13II-4: Man and Big Cats of the Ice Age. Contributions of the scientific workshop at the paläon (Schöningen) from 05.06 to 07.06.2015 |date=2022 |publisher=Propylaeum |isbn=978-3-96929-136-8 |editor-last=Conard |editor-first=N. J. |location=Heidelberg |pages=19–34 |chapter=Behaviour of ''Homotherium'' in the Light of Modern African Big Cats |doi=10.11588/propylaeum.1006.c13519 |editor-last2=Hassmann |editor-first2=H. |editor-last3=Hillgruber |editor-first3=K. F. |editor-last4=Serangeli |editor-first4=J. |editor-last5=Terberger |editor-first5=H. |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348754549}}</ref> Its large upper canine saber teeth are broad, distinctly flattened and coarsely [[Serration|serrated]].<ref name="desantis etal 2021" /> The large upper canines of ''Homotherium'' were likely hidden by the lips and gum tissues of the upper and lower jaws when the mouth was closed, similar to extant cats and unlike the larger upper canines of ''Smilodon''. This hypothesis is further supported by comparable space between the canines and mandible at full closure of the jaws to modern cats; while ''Smilodon'' has significantly more space in this respect, likely for soft tissue to fit between the canine and mandible.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Antón |first1=Mauricio |last2=Siliceo |first2=Gema |last3=Pastor |first3=Juan F. |last4=Salesa |first4=Manuel J. |date=2022 |title=Concealed weapons: A revised reconstruction of the facial anatomy and life appearance of the sabre-toothed cat ''Homotherium latidens'' (Felidae, Machairodontinae) |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |volume=284 |pages=107471 |bibcode=2022QSRv..28407471A |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107471 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free |hdl=10261/270770}}</ref> The incisors are enlarged relative to those of modern big cats,<ref name=":1" /> and arranged in an arc at the front of the jaws, similar to hyenas and canines.<ref name="antón 2022" /> The joining region between the two halves of the lower jaw ([[mandibular symphysis]]) is angular and high, with the [[coronoid process of the mandible]] being relatively short.<ref name=":1" />

Preserved soft tissue of a three-week old cub of a ''H. latidens'' found in Siberia in 2020 and described in 2024 shows that the coat color for at least the juveniles of this species was a black or dark brown color with pale fur on the paws and chin. The fur on the corners of the mouth and back of the neck were longer than on the forelimbs of the mummy, and the pelage is generally dense all over the body. Additionally, the cub had wide rounded paws lacking a [[carpal pad]]. These are thought to be adaptations to living in snowy environments, and the fact that a three-week old had these features indicates that they developed them at a young age.<ref name="lopatin etal 2024" /> A study on the microstructure of the cub's hair revealed a weak development of the medulla, suggesting that the heat-protective properties of the hair are poor and lacked specific adaptations to cold environments. It is likely that the cub was born in spring and died in summer.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chernova |first1=O. F. |last2=Klimovsky |first2=A. I. |last3=Protopopov |first3=A. V. |title=Hair Microstructure in a Mummy of a Juvenile Saber-Toothed Cat ''Homotherium latidens'' (Felidae, Carnivora) |year=2025 |journal=Doklady Biological Sciences |doi=10.1134/S0012496624600660 |pmid=40216675 }}</ref>