The saber-toothed cat’s paws, broad and fur-covered ... that perhaps, unlike the famed Smilodon, Homotherium’s deadly fangs were sheathed by thick lips, hidden until the moment of attack.

Within the felids, however, the stocky, muscular Smilodon fatalis is often thought of as the iconic example of a saber-toothed cat because of its extremely long canines—up to about seven inches ...