Thylacosmilus
Group Marsupial mammals
Date Late Miocene to Early Pliocene
Size 1.5m. long
Location South America
Thylacosmilus was a large predatory marsupial that was about the size of today’s jaguar. Like the sabre-toothed cats such as Smilodon, to which it was unrelated, it had long, sabre-shaped upper canine teeth. This is a classic example of convergent evolution. However, in Thylacosmilus, these canines grew continuously throughout its life. When the mouth was closed, the sabres were protected by a pair of scabbard-like flanges in the lower jaw. Thylacosmilus was the last of the line of marsupial carnivores that diversified in isolation South America. When Nouth and South America became connected via the Panama land bridge, around 3 million year ago, moved into South America and took their place.