Mississippi
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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ATHENS, GA — Jacob Parker made a big decision one summer ago to turn down the MLB draft and instead play for Mississippi State baseball.
Fast forward 11 months, and the Bulldogs’ season hinged on the freshman’s bat, the same one that had them leading in the ninth inning against Georgia in Game 2 of the Athens Super Regional on June 7.
In the 10th inning, a three-run home run, a third homer in his last three at-bats, would’ve been a walk-off for No. 14 MSU to force a Game 3 against No. 3 Georgia.
Instead, he struck out swinging with two runners on to end the game. Georgia players rushed the field and dogpiled after clinching an 11-9 win and a trip to the College World Series. Mississippi State’s season, the first under coach Brian O’Connor, ended.
That’s how a breakout game and the postseason ended for Parker, an outfielder and Purvis native who wasn’t even an everyday starter for Mississippi State (43-19) to begin the season.
“I’m proud of this guy, “O’Connor said as he put his hand on Parker’s shoulder at the postgame press conference. “I know he hurts because the game ends with his at-bat, but we wouldn’t be where we’re at without him and his teammates’ contributions.”
Four of Parker’s six at-bats in Game 2 against Georgia (51-12) were pivotal.
It started with a checked swing in the first inning that was called as an inning-ending strike by the third base umpire. O’Connor jumped out of the dugout screaming in disagreement with the call.
Mississippi State fell behind 7-2 but went ahead 9-8 by the ninth inning because of Parker.
He hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, the third of three straight MSU homers that cut Georgia’s lead to 8-7. Then in the eighth inning, Parker crushed a go-ahead two-run home run to make it 9-8 Mississippi State. Both home runs were over 430 feet.
MSU had runners at first and second base for Parker’s at-bat in the 10th inning.
“I’ve already won in life,” Parker said. “I have Jesus Christ in my life. I really didn’t care what happened. Obviously, I wanted to win, but I walked up to the plate that knowing win or lose, I’ve won in life. I think that’s what’s special and that’s what this program is about.
“It’s not about wins or losses. It’s about how these guys can turn us into better men. From the second I stepped foot on campus, I’ve completely changed into a better man, and I can’t thank these guys enough.”
It was the second two-home run game of the postseason for Parker after he also did it in the regional final against Louisiana. Parker finished the super regional 3-for-9 with two home runs, four RBIs, four runs and three walks.
Parker, who won the Most Outstanding Player award for the Starkville Regional, finished his freshman season with a .339 batting average, 18 home runs, 62 RBIs and 51 runs in 53 games and 44 starts.
He was named one of five finalists for Baseball America’s freshman of the year award. Parker said he hasn’t done it alone.
“I can name so many guys, but one in particular is Aidan Teel,” Parker said. “I don’t know if you guys know, but this fall I was terrible. That guy, he literally put everything down and helped me. He wasn’t playing toward the end of the year and I was. He helped me become who I am, and I can’t thank those guys enough.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for The Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney discussed homeowners’ insurance rates, roof-strengthening grants, health insurance options, and his plans for the 2027 election.
Insurance rates
Chaney said homeowners on the Gulf Coast will likely see stable insurance rates in 2027 with minimal increases.
The windpool, the insurer of last resort for wind and hail, will offer a policy allowing homeowners to choose their coverage amount, providing more flexibility for consumers.
“The reason they’re doing that is that rates have gone up around the United States. It’s not just Mississippi, and they’re exorbitant and out of sight,” Chaney said. “So we’re looking at ways to help the consumer out.
Homeowners can contact their insurance agent to discuss coverage options.
Roof mitigation program
The roof mitigation program has generated significant interest.
The program will provide homeowners up to $10,000 to reinforce their roofs, with homeowners responsible for contributing financially if the total cost exceeds $10,000.
“Mitigation is real simple. If you qualify and you have a home that’s in fairly decent repair and you’ve got a bad roof on it, we can go in and put a roof that meets IBHS standards,” Chaney said.
The insurance commissioner said roofing contractors will not be paid unless the house meets code and passes inspection standards.
The program will mitigate between 200 and 300 houses between July 1 and January 1, then expand to full capacity.
“Then we’ll go full steam. We’ll put $15 million a year into the program. So somewhere between 1,000 to 1,500 houses a year,” Chaney said.
Chaney said it will take a couple of years for Mississippi to reach the necessary mitigation standards.
Homeowners will be able to register online, and participants will be selected through a lottery system.
Health insurance program
About 400,000 people in Missisisppi do not have health insurance, according to Chaney.
He is promoting a private exchange program that will provide short-term health insurance coverage beginning January 1.
Policies will be valid for six months and cost less than $500 per month, according to Chaney.
The insurance commissioner said individuals with conditions requiring expensive treatments may not qualify and can seek coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
“That just simply says, if you’ve got cancer and you need a million-dollar drug, we’re probably not going to write you. And there’s a reason for that. You can go to the ACA and get that coverage,” Chaney said.
He added that insurance companies will fund the program through premiums, with no tax dollars involved.
2027 election
Chaney will likely be on the ballot for the state election next year.
“My name will probably be on the ballot. My deputy commissioner has agreed to run if something happens,” Chaney said.
The insurance commissioner’s office regulates the state’s insurance industry, protects consumers, and investigates fraud.
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