Sabeltandkat Machairodus, hoe hard beet hij eigenlijk?

A recent publication by an Australian research group (Mc Henry et al., 2007) showed that the American sabretoothed cat Smilodon fatalis had weaker bite strength than the extant lion (Panthera leo). This finding was also mentioned in the Dutch newspaper NRC, but actually, it was old news. Two years ago, an internship project on a skull of Macharoidus cf. aphanistus at the National Museum of Natural History ’Naturalis’ in Leiden, gave a similar result. By comparing morphological features of cat skulls, this article gives an explanation why the sabertoothed cats had a weaker bite than the extant lion. It also describes two methods that can be used to determine bite strength.