California State Fossil

Sabre-Toothed Cat

(Smilodon californicus)

Adopted in 1973

The sabre-tooth cat, Smilodon californicus, was adopted by the Legislature as the official State Fossil in 1973.

Description of the California State Fossil

The saber-tooth tiger (Smilodon californicus) belongs to the cat family, the Felidae. These animals lived on the North and South American continents during the Pleistocene period. The upper canine teeth which are exceedingly long, were useful for stabbing. The lower canines are somewhat reduced. The flange at the front end of the lower jaw served as a guard for the upper canines. The jaw was so constructed that it could be opened nearly to a right angle. The canine teeth were very effective in slicing wounds. It is believed that these animals preyed mainly upon thick-skinned animals such as mastodons and elephants. Smilodon was approximately 350 kg and had a short tail, powerful legs and a large head. Its jaws could open 95 degrees and with 8-inch upper canine teeth it was a meat-eater very common in California 40 million years ago. Smilodon was distinguished by its "saber teeth" or elongate canines. These were used to dispatch prey animals after a successful ambush, as Smilodon was not styled for fast running. Healed wounds on some sabertooths have been suggested as evidence that Smilodon hunted in packs and shared food with injured members until they could hunt again, although this interpretation is controversial. Fossil bones of the sabre-tooth cat have been found in abundance preserved in the tar pits of Rancho La Brea in Los Angeles.

The most famous and most concentrated deposit of Smilodon and other contemporary mammal remains is at the La Brea Tar Pits. This colonial-period ranch, with natural asphalt seeps, is now a park surrounded by downtown Los Angeles. But for several thousand years during the Pleistocene, the tar pits -- camouflaged by a covering of rainwater -- served as traps for predator and prey alike. It is thought that packs of carnivores would follow a solitary, large animal (such as a mammoth) into the tar and become mired, accounting for the large numbers of carnivore skeletons at the site.

Because of its abundance and scientific importance, the "saber-tooth cat," a reference to Smilodon, was designated the California state fossil in January of 1974 with the passage of Government Code Section 420-429.5 adopted by the Legislature.

Taxonomic Hierarchy of the Sabre-Toothed Cat