Smilodonn populator is the largest species of its genus and measures up to 1.2 meters high and 2.3 meters long, and can weigh up to 400 kilos.
Their long saber teeth, up to 28 cm long, were relatively fragile, so they could not be used until the prey was completely still, for which they used the powerful muscles in their legs to immobilize them before delivering the fatal bite.
They could not run at high speeds to catch their prey, but they could travel with other saber-toothed animals in order to ambush and/or hunt them. These prey could be large mammals such as glyptodonts, toxodonts, megatheres and other herbivores.
Smilodon populator adapted to a wide variety of habitats, from tropical forests and jungles to drier, arid regions.
It is believed that this species was very versatile and capable of adapting to different environments, which allowed it to survive for a long time.
The model pose represents a specimen resting at the beginning of the recent Ice Age.
Approximate measurements of the replica:
- Scale 1:35 Complete
- Length 55mm
- Height 40mm
- Snout-tail length 63 mm
- Scale 1:20 Complete
- Length 96mm
- Height 70mm
- Snout-tail length 112 mm