Dr. David Gwynn

These are all distinct genera. And then there were species such as the dire wolf and the American lion, Panthera leo. And I have to give one more scientific name for the saber-toothed cat just because it's so cool. The saber-toothed cat's name was Smilodon fatalis, which is kind of a mashup of Greek and Latin. which basically means roughly deadly knife-toothed.

I mean, you had these sabers that were some six inches, these two fangs, basically, canines. Six inches? Six to eight inches long. They were probably about a quarter of an inch wide. They were serrated front to back. This was an animal that would rip your throat with one chop.

I mean, you had these sabers that were some six inches, these two fangs, basically, canines. Six inches? Six to eight inches long. They were probably about a quarter of an inch wide. They were serrated front to back. This was an animal that would rip your throat with one chop.

I mean, you had these sabers that were some six inches, these two fangs, basically, canines. Six inches? Six to eight inches long. They were probably about a quarter of an inch wide. They were serrated front to back. This was an animal that would rip your throat with one chop.

They probably didn't mess with us. I mean, we wouldn't have been much of a meal. Not when they can go after a bison or a mammoth, for goodness sakes. There's just a whole lot more meat on the bone for the other prey.

They probably didn't mess with us. I mean, we wouldn't have been much of a meal. Not when they can go after a bison or a mammoth, for goodness sakes. There's just a whole lot more meat on the bone for the other prey.

They probably didn't mess with us. I mean, we wouldn't have been much of a meal. Not when they can go after a bison or a mammoth, for goodness sakes. There's just a whole lot more meat on the bone for the other prey.

And they tended to hunt around what's known today, I think it's the Los Angeles County Museum, the La Brea Tar Pits, very classic environment in which animals would come and these folks would be ambush hunters. jump out, grab them by the throat, and then hang on as the animal tried to twist its way out. If there were people that were eaten by saber-tooths, we have no evidence of it.

And they tended to hunt around what's known today, I think it's the Los Angeles County Museum, the La Brea Tar Pits, very classic environment in which animals would come and these folks would be ambush hunters. jump out, grab them by the throat, and then hang on as the animal tried to twist its way out. If there were people that were eaten by saber-tooths, we have no evidence of it.

And they tended to hunt around what's known today, I think it's the Los Angeles County Museum, the La Brea Tar Pits, very classic environment in which animals would come and these folks would be ambush hunters. jump out, grab them by the throat, and then hang on as the animal tried to twist its way out. If there were people that were eaten by saber-tooths, we have no evidence of it.

I could only imagine it would have been over very fast.

I could only imagine it would have been over very fast.

I could only imagine it would have been over very fast.

Well, I'm at a disadvantage here because I actually haven't seen that film. Okay. But I'll answer your question as best I can, which is to say, yes, there were all sorts of small mammals in North America. And let's take it one step further. If you're coming into an environment

Well, I'm at a disadvantage here because I actually haven't seen that film. Okay. But I'll answer your question as best I can, which is to say, yes, there were all sorts of small mammals in North America. And let's take it one step further. If you're coming into an environment

Well, I'm at a disadvantage here because I actually haven't seen that film. Okay. But I'll answer your question as best I can, which is to say, yes, there were all sorts of small mammals in North America. And let's take it one step further. If you're coming into an environment

that you're unfamiliar with and you're a hunter-gatherer, you're not gonna be terribly picky about what your next meal is. And so if there were small mammals that humans encountered and that they were able to kill. We don't want to put the vision of people killing cartoon squirrels and eating them in your listeners' heads.

that you're unfamiliar with and you're a hunter-gatherer, you're not gonna be terribly picky about what your next meal is. And so if there were small mammals that humans encountered and that they were able to kill. We don't want to put the vision of people killing cartoon squirrels and eating them in your listeners' heads.

that you're unfamiliar with and you're a hunter-gatherer, you're not gonna be terribly picky about what your next meal is. And so if there were small mammals that humans encountered and that they were able to kill. We don't want to put the vision of people killing cartoon squirrels and eating them in your listeners' heads.

But yeah, these folks were probably fairly generalized foragers, which is to say that they were eating up and down the body size chain. So small mammals, turtles, large mammals, yeah. They were probably hunters of great strategy and tactics, but also opportunistic. If the resource was there, they're going to take advantage of it.