Smilodon fatalis, the famous sabre-tooth tiger and icon of the Ice Age: this original specimen is the only one of its kind in Italy and one of the few present in European museums. This fossil dates back to the late Pleistocene and comes from Rancho La Brea in California (USA), one of the most important fossil deposits in the world due to the quantity and variety of species found there. The Smilodon genus lived in the Americas about 2 million years ago. This large feline’s hallmark trait lies in its enormously developed canines that made it a fearsome predator. It probably lived in a herd and could hunt large herbivores, such as mammoths, but it may also have fed on carcasses. Measuring more than 2 metres in length and about 1.20 metres in height at the withers, it could weigh up to 300 kg.
