| Machairodontinae Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Homotherium venezuelensis, Machairodus aphanistus, Metailurus sp. and Smilodon fatalis | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | †Machairodontinae Gill, 1872 |
| Subgroups | |
Machairodontinae is an extinct subfamily of carnivoran mammals of the family Felidae (true cats). They were found in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Europe, with the earliest species known from the Middle Miocene, with the last surviving species (belonging to the genera Smilodon and Homotherium) becoming extinct around Late Pleistocene-Holocene transition (~13-10,000 years ago).
The Machairodontinae contain many of the extinct predators commonly known as "saber-toothed cats", including the famed genus Smilodon, and others like Megantereon as well as other cats with more modest increases in the size and length of their maxillary canines like Homotherium. The name means "dagger-tooth", from Greek μάχαιρα (machaira), sword. Sometimes, other carnivorous mammals with elongated teeth are also called saber-toothed cats, although they do not belong to the felids. Besides the machairodonts, other saber-toothed predators also arose in the nimravids, barbourofelids, machaeroidines, hyaenodonts and even in two groups of metatherians (the thylacosmilid sparassodonts and the deltatheroideans).[1]
- ^ Lars W. van den Hoek Ostende, Michael Morlo & Doris Nagel (July 2006). "Fossils explained 52 Majestic killers: the sabre-toothed cats". Geology Today. 22 (4): 150–157. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2451.2006.00572.x. S2CID 128960196.