Soft tissue reconstruction of Homotherium latidens (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae). Implications for the possibility of representations in Palaeolithic art

We reconstruct the life appearance of the head and body of the sabretoothed felid Homotherium latidens through the study of osteological correlates of soft tissue attributes, incorporating data from the dissection of several large felids and using the Extant Phylogenetic Bracket to infer the condition of unpreserved attributes where morphological evidence is inconclusive. Our reconstruction shows that Homotherium would have differed from modem felids in aspects of the general proportions of the head, having a straighter dorsal outline and a long, square muzzle with an angular "chin", although large pantherines may mimic to some degree the angular shape of the machairodontine mandibular symphysis with the growth of long hair in the chin area. The tips of the sabres of Homotherium would have been visible in life, protruding beyond the lips. Our reconstructed body proportions of Homotherium imply a sloping back. These conclusions contradict a previous proposal that postulated a different soft tissue anatomy for Homotherium, and which led to interpretation of a Palaeolithic figurine as a rendering of the sabretooth. Our results suggest that the figurine in question is a depiction of a cave lion, and that there is no single known representation of a machairodont in prehistoric art. The implications for our current understanding of the Late Pleistocene large-carnivore guild are discussed. (C) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.