Just a quick heads-up: there may or may not be a cat post tomorrow.
It’s a tricky one to write, since it’s the hinge between “Meet the Cat Family!” (modern) and “Meet the Cat Family!” (sabertooths).
Over the years I’ve discovered how difficult it is to cover fossil cats well, without ending up knee-deep in paleontological, ecological, geological, and climate science jargon, concepts, and controversies.
It only looks possible now because I’m much more comfortable in admitting how much I don’t know.
But it needs a slightly different approach, which is what I’m doing now.
This series should be interesting, as quite a bit is known about the most recent sabercats, though I can’t hope to compete with the BBC.
They always meet challenges in such entertaining ways.
But paleontologists suspect that real sabertoothed cats, like South America’s gigantic Smilodon populator, took their megafauna prey by running full-tilt into them, knocking them down.
Then they pinned the unfortunate victim to the ground in a wrestling hold while using the sabers on its throat.
On S. populator’s menu. (Image: Gergas via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0(
Let’s see the Beeber animate that! (Seriously. I’d love to watch it. I think. These cats were terrifying.)
Well, if not Friday, the post (just an introduction) should go up over the weekend.
And don’t worry — Sunday’s volcano is already scheduled.
As always, thank you for you support and interest!
Featured image:
Valentyna Chukhlyebova/Shutterstock
Flight To Wonder 