Smilodon fatalis

[Spalea]

@Sanju :

Sorry to answer you only now...


About #48: one horned rhino, cheetah, juvenile elephant, wolf ? Your range of comparaison is much broader than mine ! Very interesting.

As concerns wolves, if I am not wrong, they form some big prides during winter, when they have to hunt big preys... Otherwise they live solitary  or in small groups or as in couple.

Cheetah ? Their top speed represents an hyper specialization as the Smilodon fatalis's fangs do.

Juvenile elephant: same point as for the cheetah and smilodon fatalis as concerns their trunk.

Dholes, spotted hyenas (and African wild dogs) live constantly in prides but they have not an hyper specialization of their anatomy... Lions have not either. Unless their luxuriant mane is itself  an hyper specialization too. East and South African lions live constantly in prides because the males wear luxuriant manes. West and Asiatic lions rather in small groups (females and cubs/a few males, juvenile or not), perhaps too the cave lions and the American lions if the males were no maned...

Very interesting ! Reply