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

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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.”

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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. 

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“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.

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“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. 

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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

Utah blows double-digit lead in 78-73 loss to Mississippi State

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7 hours ago

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November 19, 2024

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Utah blows double-digit lead in 78-73 loss to Mississippi State


The Utah Runnin’ Utes suffered a hard-fought loss to Mississippi State, falling 78-73 in the Mid-South Showdown on Sunday night in Southaven, Mississippi. Despite leading by 11 points at halftime, the Utes couldn’t hold off a second-half surge from the Bulldogs, led by standout performances from Josh Hubbard and KeShawn Murphy.

Hubbard scored a game-high 23 points for Mississippi State, with Murphy adding 18 points and dominating the boards with 14 rebounds. Cameron Matthews was also pivotal, scoring 12 points and converting 8 of 10 free throws, including several clutch shots in the final moments. Ryan Kugel contributed 12 points and delivered a critical offensive rebound late in the game, which helped seal the victory for the Bulldogs.

Utah started strong, controlling the tempo in the first half and building an 11-point advantage by halftime. The Utes’ balanced attack featured Ezra Ausar with a team-high 15 points, Mason Madsen contributing 14, and Keanu Dawes adding 13 points and 12 rebounds. Miro Little also chipped in with 10 points, hitting two key three-pointers during Utah’s dominant stretch late in the first half.

However, Mississippi State roared back in the second half, led by Hubbard and Murphy. They erased the deficit and took a six-point lead with just over 13 minutes remaining. Utah responded with a rally of its own, creating a back-and-forth battle with seven lead changes in a span of three minutes.

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Down the stretch, Mississippi State’s execution proved decisive. Matthews knocked down critical free throws, and the Bulldogs’ ability to capitalize on Utah’s misses and turnovers secured the win. Despite the loss, Utah displayed resilience and strong performances from several key players.

The Runnin’ Utes will look to bounce back when they host Utah Tech on Friday, Nov. 22, at 5:30 p.m. ET, in a game that will be streamed on ESPN+. This matchup provides an opportunity for the Utes to regroup and build on their promising moments from Sunday night.



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Mississippi College set to undergo name change, discontinuation of football program

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15 hours ago

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November 18, 2024

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Mississippi College set to undergo name change, discontinuation of football program


CLINTON, Miss. (WLOX) – After reviewing and preparing for the college’s 2026 bicentennial, the Mississippi College Board of Trustees approved a name change for Mississippi College.

Starting in 2026, the college will be known as Mississippi Christian University. The decision underscores MC’s status as a comprehensive university and allows the college to retain its logo and identity.

Officials with the college say the name change is a strategic decision that reiterates leadership’s commitment to fulfilling the private university’s vision statement – to be known as a university recognized for academic excellence and commitment to the cause of Christ.

Along with the decision to approve the name change, the college also announced the discontinuation of the football program, which will allow the school to “further its commitment to excellence in Division II play across its remaining 17 sports and pursue needed facility upgrades”.

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“Discontinuing our football program is a difficult decision. We acknowledge the program’s legacy and the deep connection to the many student-athletes, alumni, and supporters of the football program. I want to emphasize that we will always consider them as part of our MC Family,” Athletic Director Kenny Bizot said.

“We will support our current student-athletes as they seek to continue their education at MC as well as those who wish to transfer,” Bizot added.

The changes were based on recommendations from a task force of university trustees, which were developed in consultation with university leadership and approved by the Board of Trustees.

See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.

Copyright 2024 WLOX. All rights reserved.

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The Final Horn: State 78, Utah 73 – Mississippi State

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23 hours ago

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November 18, 2024

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The Final Horn: State 78, Utah 73 – Mississippi State


THE BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State is off to a perfect 4-0 start this season courtesy of a determined second-half surge that carried MSU past Utah 78-73 at the Landers Center in Southaven on Sunday. The Bulldogs trailed 39-28 after the first 20 minutes of play but used a 22-5 run out of halftime to gain a six-point edge before fending off the Utes down the stretch. Utah tied the game at 71-all with only 1:40 remaining, however State locked down defensively and scored seven of the game’s final nine points to secure victory.

KEY NUMBERS: Individually, Josh Hubbard scored 20 of his team-high 23 points in the second half to lead State’s surge, while KeShawn Murphy did a little of everything for the Bulldogs with 18 points, 14 rebounds, a couple of blocks and an assist. Riley Kugel and Cameron Matthews also reached double figures in scoring for State as each tallied 12 points. Matthews also collected a pair of steals, surpassing the 200-mark for his career. Collectively though, the biggest difference in the game was State’s second-half offensive resurgence. After shooting just 22.9 percent from the field as a team in the opening period, including only making one of 13 shots from three-point range, MSU shot 50 percent as a group the rest of the way and made five of its final 12 tries from deep.

SOCIAL MEDIA SCENES:

NEXT UP FOR THE DAWGS: Mississippi State faces a true road test as MSU battles SMU at Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas, on Friday, Nov. 22. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed via ACC Network Extra.

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