Time to #GUESSTHESKULL https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💀" title="Skull" aria-label="Emoji: Skull">

The weekly twitter game where I show you a #skull and you guess the animal https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐋" title="Whale" aria-label="Emoji: Whale">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐪" title="Dromedary camel" aria-label="Emoji: Dromedary camel">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐊" title="Crocodile" aria-label="Emoji: Crocodile">

To keep it brief
It had really big teef
But it’s extinct
And thats a relief

#SciComm #Osteology

Hello all #GuessTheSkull new comers!
This #skull was a tricky one, most people said Saber tooth tiger/cat...

BUT THIS IS NO CAT AT ALL!! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐱" title="Cat face" aria-label="Emoji: Cat face"> #AprilFoolsDay

This is a Nimravid, likely Hoplophoneus sp.

Okay okay.. but what in the spagettie sauce is a & #39;Nimravid& #39;?

#Scicommhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧵" title="Thread" aria-label="Emoji: Thread">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">

Since everyone has been watching #TigerKing https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt=""> ya& #39;ll are familiar with #BigCats lions, tigers, even your house cats all belong in the group of true cats & #39;Felines& #39; but that group belongs to a bigger group called & #39;Feliforms& #39; basically cat shaped animals. which includes bear cats!

It also includes a bunch of odd-not-quite-cat like things like fossa.

So, Nimravids are in this group, they look like cats and likely filled a similar niche but were outside of & #39;true cats& #39;!

Remember what& #39;s around today is a pruned tree of the diversity there once was!

Nimravids went extinct about 7 mill years ago, while the more famous #Smilodon (a truehttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🐱" title="Cat face" aria-label="Emoji: Cat face">) went extinct about 10k years ago... we were THIS close https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👌🏽" title="Ok hand (medium skin tone)" aria-label="Emoji: Ok hand (medium skin tone)">

So how many saber toothed mammals were there, and why?!

While I only talk about saber-like canines in CARNIVOROUS mammals.. i

t would be irresponsible of me not to mention that there are SABER TOOTHED DEER ALIVE TODAY!!

Looking straight out the Pleistocene.

Okay back to cats/cat like things huge saber teeth evolved at least 3 times with in mammals.

One of which is in a south American marsupial!! So why? Well Big teeth are good for a few things, likely to do with feeding. I don& #39;t think this is completely agreed on yet @ashinonyx

Now you know #Smilodon wasn& #39;t the only saber-toothed meat eating mammal!

But we have a great record of them so no wonder its everyone& #39;s fav. The record is so good we can track how they grew their teeth, checkout the thread below for THE DOUBLE SABERS! https://twitter.com/Yara_Haridy/status/1085197272797925377?s=20">https://twitter.com/Yara_Hari...

Finally, I would like to say I am not a cat or mammal expert but if you are looking for awesome people to follow for more info/ awesome soul saving content https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👇" title="Down pointing backhand index" aria-label="Emoji: Down pointing backhand index">

Cat/mammal people: @ashinonyx @biologistimo @sciencewithtyus @DeepFriedDNA @Brigidomorpha