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■ SUMMARY
Saber-toothed cats
In the fall 1996, on an expedition from Copenha-
gen University to the Greek island of Rhodes,
the author of this article found a rather large ca-
nine. The canine was found in a riverbed within
rythmic lacustrine sediments in the Apolakkia
formation in the south-western part of Rhodes.
This formation dates back to mid-pliocene times
and is rich in fossile vertebrates, mostly mam-
mals.
The canine presumably originated from the
saber-toothed cat Homotherium crenatidens
which roamed Eurasia in pliocene times. Rhodes
was still connected to Turkey then.
Once before has a sabertoothed cat been found
on Rhodes, namely the miocene species
Machairodus aphanistus, a forefather of the
Homotherium crenatidens.
The saber-toothed cats were continental carni-
vores, living on large prey, which means that
they probably could not survive on small, iso-
lated islands. Therefore, it is not likely that they
survived in Rhodes after its separation from
Turkey. There is a record of dwarf elephants on
Rhodes after the separation, so possibly the
sabertoothed survived into the pleistocene.
PÓSTFANG HÖFUNDAR/AuTHOr’s ADDRESS
Bjarni Richter
Orkustofnun/NationalEnergy Authority
Geoscience Division
Grensásvegi 9
IS-108 Reykjavík
Netfang/hmail
br@os.is
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