Mississippi

Mississippi man finds fossilized remains of saber-toothed tiger dating back 10,000 years

Published

8 months ago

April 23, 2024

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Mississippi man finds fossilized remains of saber-toothed tiger dating back 10,000 years

Mississippi resident Eddie Templeton recently discovered a bone that once belonged to a saber-tooth tiger. Now he wants to find one of the prehistoric creature’s teeth.

It’s not every day you dig up the fossilized remains of an apex predator.

Unless your name is Eddie Templeton, who recently discovered the crystallized toe bone of a saber-toothed tiger in a creek bed in Yazoo County, Mississippi, according to reporting by the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.

“I knew it was a mineralized bone …. I knew it was from the Pleistocene (Ice Age), but I didn’t know what it was from,” Templeton said. “It’s not particularly large or impressive, but it is complete.”

Saber-toothed tigers, or smilodon fatalis, are a species of large cat that weighed somewhere between 350 and 620 pounds, making the extinct creature larger than both the modern African lion, the Ledger reported.

The pearly whites on the creature were sharp, with a “scalpel-like” quality, a descriptor given to the “elongated upper canines.” Its tail, on the other hand, was more of a bobcat vibe.

Here’s what we know.

Saber-toothed tiger bone is a ‘rare’ find, expert says

The bone may not look impressive, but finding one certainly is.

There are currently fewer than six fossilized bones of saber-toothed cats in Mississippi’s possession, according to George Phillips, a paleontologist at the state’s Museum of Natural Science.

“Carnivores are always rare. Carnivores are always smaller populations than what they prey on,” Phillips said.

Other cat species roamed the region alongside the saber-toothed cat, including American lions, jaguars, panthers, bobcats, ocelots and river cats. The Smilodon fatalis might not have been the only cat species to roam the region during the last ice age, but it certainly stood out. The bite from the fearsome predator is considered what some might call “specialized.”

“They’re a little larger than a banana,” Phillips said of a saber toothed cat’s canine teeth. “They’re about 10.5 inches long. Slightly more than half of that is embedded in the skull. We’re looking at about 5 inches beyond the gum line. It had a well-developed shoulder, neck and jaw musculature. That, coupled with the sabers, contributed to its specialized feeding.”

How the teeth were used isn’t clear, with Phillip positing that they were used to deeply penetrate soft tissue such as the underbelly of giant ground sloths or young mastodons. The cat could inflict fatal wounds in one bite with less danger of injuring a tooth and step back and wait for the animal to succumb.

“I think it had to be one blow,” Phillips said.

While others maintain that the dagger-like teeth were used to secure prey by the neck.

Saber-tooth tiger was once a top predator, proof seen in remains

The saber-toothed cat’s reign as a top apex predator eventually came to an end because of the arrival of humans, climate change or a combination of those factors.

All that’s left of this “megafauna” and others like it are fossilized remains.

Templeton, who considers himself an avocational archaeologist, he’s hopeful that he might be able to find another bone in the same area he hunts for fossils. He hopes that he will be able to procure another piece of one of the giant cats.

“It’s got me optimistic I might find a tooth,” Templeton said. “That would be a wow moment.”

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Mississippi

1 dead after 2-vehicle collision on Mississippi 42 in Lamar County

Published

5 hours ago

December 22, 2024

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1 dead after 2-vehicle collision on Mississippi 42 in Lamar County

From Mississippi Highway Patrol Public Affairs Office

LAMAR COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) – A woman died from injuries suffered in a two-vehicle collision Friday afternoon on a stretch of Mississippi 42 in Lamar County.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol said a 2004 Toyota Sienna driven by 32-year-old Alaina R. McLeod, of Bassfield, was traveling east on Mississippi 42 when it collided with a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado driven by 36-year-old Harold Guilbeau, of Sumrall.

The accident took place about 2:30 p.m. Friday, MHP said.

MHP said McLeod was declared at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by MHP.

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Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Takes Care of Mississippi Valley State in Oxford

Published

13 hours ago

December 21, 2024

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Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Takes Care of Mississippi Valley State in Oxford

No. 25 Ole Miss Rebels women’s basketball won its third straight game on Saturday as it took down an in-state foe in the Mississippi Valley State Devilettes by a final score of 78-44.

Ole Miss (8-3) was led in scoring by guard Sira Thienou with 18 points, and she was one of five players who hit double digits on Saturday. Madison Scott (13), Star Jacobs (13), Kennedy Todd-Williams (12) and Kharyssa Richardson (12) were the others to hit that pinnacle.

As a team, the Rebels shot 43.9 percent from the field and 25 percent from three compared to percentages of 34 and 28.6 from MVSU. Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin spoke with the media after the game about the difficulties of preparing a team for some of these non-conference games around the Christmas season.

“These games are very hard because it’s not like one of those games where it’s a conference game or something where the players are very educated on their opponent,” McPhee-McCuin said. “You just ask them to be mature and work things through. I thought in the third and fourth quarter, we were able to establish that and pull away by me shortening the bench a little bit.”

Ole Miss only led by 12 points at halftime, and since expectations have changed around the program, impressive wins matter. The Rebels then proceeded to outscore MVSU 42-20 to secure a convincing result, and McPhee-McCuin was impressed with some of her veteran leadership in the locker room at halftime.

“I thought that Maddie (Scott) and Kennedy (Todd-Williams) leadership today was incredible in the locker room,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I didn’t have to say a word. They did a lot of the talking. Because the NET still matters and how it looks still matters for us.

“We’re no longer trying to get into the tournament. If we’re not in the tournament, I’ll be shocked. For us, it’s not about getting into the tournament. It’s about seeding. We have to fight that because we’re not the ‘sexy’ team. Everything we get, we’re going to have to earn. They knew that, and they were talking to the team about that, and that’s why we were able to create some separation.”

The Rebels are off until they play host to Alcorn State on Dec. 30. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. CT at the SJB Pavilion.

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Mississippi State basketball vs Memphis score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch

Published

21 hours ago

December 21, 2024

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Mississippi State basketball vs Memphis score today: Live updates, game highlights, how to watch

MEMPHIS — Mississippi State basketball has a big opportunity to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume today.

The Bulldogs (10-1) are playing Memphis (9-2) and coach Penny Hardaway at FedExForum on Saturday (11:30 a.m., CBS). Both teams are ranked in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs are at No. 25 and the Tigers are ranked No. 22.

Memphis has played four teams that are currently ranked. Guard PJ Haggerty averages 22.4 points per game, the seventh best in the country.

Follow along here for live score updates.

Watch Mississippi State vs Memphis live on Paramount+ (subscribe here)

Mississippi State vs Memphis score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

What time does Mississippi State vs Memphis play today?

What channel is Mississippi State vs Memphis on today?

TV channel: CBS
Streaming: Paramount+ (subscribe here)
Radio: Mississippi State radio network 96.1 FM

Mississippi State vs Memphis will be broadcast on CBS with streaming available on Paramount+.

Mississippi State vs Memphis live stream options

Mississippi State basketball vs. Memphis will be broadcast on CBS. Steaming is available via Paramount+.

Mississippi State vs Memphis predictions

Memphis 80, Mississippi State 77: This is arguably the toughest opponent Mississippi State has faced this season. Memphis has played a tough schedule consisting of Missouri, UConn, Michigan State, Auburn, Clemson and Virginia, plus North Carolina and Alabama in exhibitions. The Tigers have three great guards in Haggerty, Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers, who all shoot over 38% from 3. MSU has struggled to guard 3-pointers and falls in a close game.

Mississippi State vs Memphis betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday:

Spread: Memphis -1.5
Over/under: 151.5
Moneyline: Memphis (-110), Mississippi State (-110)

Mississippi State vs Memphis injury updates

Mississippi State guard Kanye Clary remains out indefinitely with a lower leg injury. Starting forward Cameron Matthews has also been playing through a foot injury.

Mississippi State basketball schedule 2024-25

Record: 10-1

Next five games on the Mississippi State schedule:

Dec. 21: at Memphis
Dec. 30: vs. Bethune-Cookman
Jan. 4: vs. South Carolina
Jan. 7: at Vanderbilt
Jan. 14: at Auburn

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Memphis basketball schedule 2024-25

Record: 9-2

Next five games on the Tigers’ schedule:

Dec. 21: vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 28: vs. Ole Miss
Jan. 2: at Florida Atlantic
Jan. 5: vs. North Texas
Jan. 11: vs. East Carolina

Mississippi State basketball news

Michael Nwoko tied his career high with 18 points against Central Michigan.
Jans did not have an updated on injured guard Kanye Clary on Thursday. Clary hasn’t played since Nov. 29.

Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.

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