Ancient Saber-Toothed Cats Were Health-Compromised by Inbreeding, Study Says
A study of more than 3,700 vertebrae from around 849 Smilodon fatalis individuals found widespread congenital defects—over 200 vertebral malformations, nearly 50 fused vertebrae, and signs of spinal nerve tumors—indicating severe inbreeding and genetic problems in the species before their extinction about 12,000 years ago. While DNA cannot be analyzed from these fossils, the findings from the La Brea Tar Pits suggest inbreeding may have contributed to the decline, highlighting risks faced by modern small populations facing habitat loss and climate change.