Author: Tahlia Pollock, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Evans EvoMorph Laboratory, Monash University

Sabre teeth – the long, sharp, blade-like canines found in extinct predators such as Smilodon – represent one of the most extreme dental adaptations in nature. They evolved at least five times throughout mammalian history and are a classic example of convergence, which is when similar structures evolve independently in unrelated animal groups. With no living representatives, scientists have long debated how these predators used their fearsome teeth, and why this extreme tooth shape evolved so often. Our new study, published today in Current Biology, provides an answer. We found extreme sabre teeth are functionally optimal, meaning their shape provided…