Hiking Through the Ice Age: Smilodon vs. Uintatherium

By Jack Shimon, Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society Pebble Pups
With web support by Julie Shimon

If you saw these animals in real life out on a hike which one would you be more frightened of?

Figure 1. Uintahtherium skull



Figure 2. Smilodon skull

The skull in figure 1 is from an animal about the size of a rhinoceros. The skull in figure 2 is from an animal about the size of a tiger. They both have long canines. So when I saw these skulls at the Morrison Natural History Museum, Colorado on a field trip with my family I told the lady that asked me about them that they were probably both carnivorous saber tooth tigers.

How wrong I was. She told me all about them. On the Uintatherium (figure 1) the canines were the obvious thing I looked at. I think they like to trick people because the skull of Smilodon fatalis is hanging just above it on the wall. But when you take a closer look they are actually very different.



Figure 3. Another view of a Uintahtherium skull



Figure 4. Front view of a Smilodon fatalis skull

If you think about the size, an animal with a skull as big as Uintatherium would make a gigantic cat. Much bigger than any cat I can think of, and even huge in comparison to the Smilodon. The canines are long, but not nearly as long or sharp as that of Smilodon and unlike Smilodon, Uintatherium has no front teeth like most predators. Uintatherium also has long plates of flat teeth used for grinding. I finally had to accept the fact that this animal was an herbivore!!!

It’s funny the museum had these on display together because not only are they entirely different animals but they also lived millions of years apart. Uintatherium (Beast of the Uinta) lived in the Eocene Epoch and went extinct 37 million years ago, probably due to climate change. They have been found only in Wyoming and Utah near the Uinta Mountains, which they are named for (“Wikipedia”, 2011). I think they didn’t have to roam far to feed because they ate all sorts of land and aquatic plants. They are similar in size and shape to a rhinoceros but not related at all. Modern rhinos weigh from 1,900-7,700 lbs which is a LOT more than Smilodon, and Uintatherium was probably similar in weight to the rhino (“Wikipedia”, 2012).

So why do they have those long canines? Maybe they were used to defend themselves but it was also suggested they used them to scoop plants from the marshes to feed on (“Wikipedia”, 2011). We might never know.

Figure 5. Artist's rendition of the Uintahtherium

There are three main species of Smilodon (also known as saber-tooth cats) and S. fatalis was middle in size between S. gracilis (smallest) and S. populator (largest). Smilodon went extinct in the late Pleistocene about 11,700 years ago, also probably due to climate changes. They were highly specialized top predators feeding on large game like bison, tapirs, deer, horses, sloths and possibly juvenile mastodons and mammoths. They also may have attacked prehistoric humans. S. fatalis was about the size of a Siberian tiger, an weighed up to 500lb; but built more like a modern day bear--robust for power--not speed. Smilodon canines have been measured up to 28 cm long and were used to slice through the throat after the powerful legs pulled the prey down. S. fatalis had a large range, from North America into West South America (“Wikipedia”, 2012). I wonder if Smilodon had met Uintatherium who would have won? I don’t think it would be very smart for Smilodon to try to eat Uintatherium.

Figure  6. Artist's rendition of S. fatalis

I have definitely decided that if I were to meet these creatures on a hike that I’d rather run into Uintatherium. He definitely wouldn’t try to eat me although that large skull still looks very scary.

Note: author's bio follows references. Jack Shimon is a frequent contributor of papers, poems, articles, and monographs on geoscience subjects.

References:
Interview by JS Shimon [Audio Tape Recording]. Museum tour. , Retrieved from http://www.mnhm.org/

Wikipedia. (2011, December 26). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uintatherium

Wikipedia. (2012, February 22). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros

Wikipedia. (2012, February 15.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smilodon

Author's bio:

Jack Shimon is seven years old and a first grade student in Colorado Springs, CO. Under the guidance of his grandfather he got interested in geology at a young age and has been on numerous rock and fossil collecting trips in Colorado and Texas. He's been a member of Pebble Pups since 2009 and has earned seven merit badges through that program. His other interests include cub scouts, drumming, mountain biking and rock climbing.

Luke Sattler: A Profile of a CSMS Junior Member

My Interest in Colorado Geology

By Luke Sattler

My name is Luke Sattler, I am thirteen, and I live in Colorado. I have lived in Colorado my entire life and love living here because of its beauty, geology, and history. I’ve been interested in rocks and fossils since the age of three, and by the age of five, I had a small collection (cool rocks) that I knew nothing about.



Luke Sattler, CSMS Junior

I didn't really get interested in geology and paleontology until the age of about seven when I went to my first rock shop, “Digger’s Den” in Cañon City, Colorado. While I was there I bought a few rocks and fossils that were the real start of my collection. After that day I was stuck on collecting fossils and minerals. Every time I went somewhere I would try to go to the local rock shops in town. Eventually over time my small collection grew from a dozen or so rocks and fossils to around 50 specimens. By the age of ten I was a serious collector and my allowance went almost entirely into the purchase of rocks.

The summer of 2008 was what really got me hooked on geology when I visited Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming—I was fascinated by the geological phenomena and fantastic formations. Then, in the summer of 2010, I went spelunking at the Glenwood Caverns in Glenwood Springs, Colorado and was spellbound by the caverns and how they were formed and are still forming. Of course, while I was there, I had to visit the only rock shop in town. It was in that rock shop where I bought my first Colorado rock hounding book; and that started yet another obsession—buying rock, mineral, and fossil books.

  

Luke checking out the Glenwood Caverns

The next day I went on my very first rock hounding trip to Dotsero, Colorado to look for scoria (lava), gypsum, and selenite at the Dotsero crater (cinder cone) which was one of the last volcanoes to erupt in Colorado, around 4000 years ago. From that day on I have been going rock hounding whenever possible. My knowledge in geology increased just from going on rock hounding trips and rock shops, but by the age of 12; I acquired many geology books. From reading them I am on track to know almost all of the rocks, minerals, and some fossils.

Gateway to Dotsero and collecting adventures

I have since joined the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society (CSMS), and that has helped me learn even more about rocks, minerals, and fossils, and how they form. Through a joint project with the CSMS youth program (Pebble Pups and Juniors) and the Lake George Gem and Mineral Club’s youth program, I was part of a research team that studied ancient Egyptian artifacts. I co-authored an article about these artifacts made of garnets, lapis lazuli, chalcedony, and copper that appeared in the well-known Deposits magazine that is published around the world. The article on the Egyptian artifacts won first place in a writing contest sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (13 major mineralogical clubs from Colorado to California) and I won third place in a national writing contest sponsored by the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies.

AFMS and RMFMS awards for earth science writing

I would not be able to co-author the article without the help of my CSMS youth leader Steve Veatch, as he is the one who gave us the chance of being published authors. Without Steve, we would not have been published authors or be so interested in geology. He has kept us interested and engaged in geology by making the meetings fun, full of hands-on activities, and interesting. Steve also makes CSMS awesome by taking us on field trips to the museums and taking us rock hounding at very good sites.

I also have to thank my parents and grandparents for helping my interest in geology stay alive. They were the ones who were willing to drive out of their way just to go rock hounding, and they also partially funded my collection. I can thank my grandparents for also going rock hounding and taking me to CSMS meetings and field trips.