Scientists from North Carolina State University in the United States suggest that saber-toothed cats could both purr and growl. The findings appear in a study published within the Journal of Morphology, offering new insights into the vocal capabilities of these iconic predators.
The exact vocal behavior of the saber-toothed tiger remains uncertain. It could have produced a growl, a purr, or a combination of sounds. To uncover the answer, researchers turned to the anatomy of the throat and the hyoid apparatus in living cats as a comparative framework.
Modern felines fall into two broad groups: the big cats, which include roaring species such as lions, tigers, and jaguars, and the small cats, known for purring, such as lynxes, cougars, ocelots, and domestic cats. The saber-toothed lineage appears to occupy a space between these two groups, a point that matters for interpreting how such extinct creatures might have vocalized. The study relies on analyzing the bones in the throat region, because their size, shape, and count differ between animals known for roaring and those that purr, offering clues about potential vocal patterns.
Although the soft tissues of the larynx and throat ultimately shape vocalizations, the bones that anchor those tissues differ in number and arrangement between roaring and purring cats. In humans, the hyoid complex is a single bone, whereas in purring cats it features a higher count, and roaring cats typically show a different configuration altogether. This variation helps researchers infer how a voice might be produced in each lineage by comparing skeletal design with known vocal behaviors.
In their comparative analysis, the researchers examined the hyoid bones of four modern roaring cats—lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars—and five purring species—cougars, cheetahs, caracals, servals, and ocelots. They also evaluated the 105 hyoid bones associated with the saber-toothed tiger Smilodon fatalis. The work looked for patterns that could link bone structure to potential sound production, considering what the presence or absence of certain bones could imply for ancient vocalization.
Early expectations suggested that saber-toothed cats would produce roaring sounds due to skeletal assumptions. Yet the study findings indicate that the actual vocal strategy could be more nuanced. It became clear that simply counting bones did not map directly onto whether a saber-toothed species roared or purred. The saber-toothed tiger, with a modest seven bonds in its hyoid apparatus, lacks the extra elements found in some modern purrers, yet shares a morphological likeness with them in critical ways. This points to a more complex mechanism behind vocal expression than a straightforward bone tally would predict.
Researchers highlight that the essential bones—the thyroid and basioid segments—bear shapes that resemble those seen in purring cats. This anatomical hint suggests that the saber-toothed predator might have pursued vocalization strategies that leaned toward rough, primal sounds rather than smooth, sustained purring. The discussion shifts from a simple binary of growls versus purrs to a broader possibility: a repertoire that could include a range of vocal expressions rather than a single pattern.
As the team notes, if vocal output were dictated solely by the number of hyoid bones, saber teeth would be predisposed to snarling. On the other hand, if uniformity governed vocal style, a purring-like sound could have emerged. The reality likely lies in a spectrum where ancient saber-toothed cats employed varied vocalizations, potentially switching between growls, grunts, breaths, and other resonant sounds depending on context. This perspective aligns with modern observations of felines that demonstrate flexibility in communication when faced with different social or environmental cues.
The study reframes the question of saber-toothed vocalization by focusing on the broader ecosystem of feline vocal biology. It emphasizes that the interplay between bone structure and soft tissue outcomes matters more than a single anatomical feature in determining what sounds might have echoed from ancient scrambling jungles and shared habitats. The conclusion drawn by the researchers is that saber-toothed vocalizations were likely diverse rather than fixed, reflecting adaptive communication strategies that might have included a mix of harsh sounds and subtler noises depending on the situation. Such a view aligns with contemporary understandings of how vocal behavior can vary within a lineage and across different contexts among both extant and extinct felids.
The discussion remains part of an evolving conversation about how ancient predators used sound in hunting, territory defense, and social interaction. The findings underscore how anatomical evidence can guide interpretations, even when direct vocal records do not survive. In the end, the study adds a nuanced perspective to the image of Smilodon fatalis, portraying it not as a creature bound to a single vocal style but as a species whose vocal capabilities potentially encompassed a range of sonic expressions, shaped by its unique anatomical blueprint and ecological needs. The work contributes to a broader effort to map the relationship between skeletal design and vocal output across the feline family and to understand how extinct species may have communicated within their environments.