Femur and Vortex of a Sabre-Toothed Tiger

Culture: White River Badlands/South Dakota

Period: Oligocene, 35 million years before our time

Material: Fossils

Dimensions: 20 cm x 12.2 cm

Price: 800 Euro

Ref: 10030

Provenance: Belgian private collection.

Condition: The femur is broken three times and reattached without missing parts.

Description: Interesting ensemble of a fossil femur and vertebra of a Dinictis squalidens which belongs to the early species of the sabre-toothed tiger and is also known as “false sabre-toothed cat”. The predator, which was native in North America, had a slender body of about 1.1 meter length and short legs of circa 60 cm length. Dinictis looked like a small leopard with upper canines clearly protruding from the mouth. As plantigrades, it was not particularly good at sneaking up on prey, but instead lurked in the thicket, waiting for its prey. The bones originate from the White River Badlands, a significant fossil site in South Dakota, USA. The fossilized mud in which the bones are embedded is flattened at the bottom.