The sabre-toothed cat went extinct approximately 10,000 years ago. What could have killed off this seemingly adaptive predator? Was it the overall glaciation period which occurred simultaneously? Could it be that the sabre-tooth could not handle the several climatic changes? Perhaps its food supply was wiped out, leaving nothing to eat?

Figure.19  Early Homo sapien.

Another theory about the sabre-tooth extinction deals with humans. Homosapiens were present during this time of extinction. Is it possible that human hunting could have killed off the cat? Were humans at that time advanced enough to kill an entire species?

Scientists also speculate that disease may have wiped out the sabre-toothed cat.

Whatever the cause, it is unknown. It is possible that it was a combination of all of these events (www.ucmp.bekeley.edu/quaternary/ple.html).

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