state California Canada state Missouri state Iowa county Hill county Page city Ames, state Iowa experts death isolate ICE Matthews Southern Glacier state California Canada state Missouri state Iowa county Hill county Page city Ames, state Iowa

Prehistoric sabertooth skull found in Iowa likely last of species to walk Earth, researchers say

Reading now: 887
www.fox29.com

AMES, Iowa - A well-preserved sabertooth cat skull found in southwest Iowa may have been one of the last of the species to walk the planet as glaciers receded and temperatures rose, according to researchers.Radiocarbon dating indicates the male cat died at the end of the Ice Age between 13,605 and 13,460 years ago before getting buried in the East Nishnabotna River, according to Matthew Hil, an associate professor of archaeology at Iowa State and expert on animal bones.

Hill analyzed the specimen along with David Easterla, professor emeritus of biology at Northwest Missouri State University. Their findings were recently published in Quaternary Science Reviews.Hill said the chance of finding any fossilized remains from a sabertooth cat is slim, and finding one in Page County is even rarer.Ventral side of sabertooth cat skull (Credit: Christopher Gannon/Iowa State University) "The skull is a really big deal," he added. "Finds of this animal are widely scattered and usually represented by an isolated tooth or bone.

This skull from the East Nishnabotna River is in near-perfect condition. It’s exquisite."OLDEST SEA REPTILE REMAINS FROM 2 MILLION YEARS AGO FOUND ON ARCTIC ISLANDThe animal was about 2 to 3 years old and well over 500 pounds at its death, evidence from the skull shows.

According to the university, this suggests that this sabertooth cat was potentially much bigger than most of the cats found in southern California.

Read more on fox29.com
The website covid-19.rehab is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.

Related News

DMCA