Thylacosmilus Colouring

Thylacosmilus atrox lived in South America during the late Miocene and Pliocene, with famous fossils from Argentina. It looked a little like a sabre-toothed cat, but it was not a cat and not a true marsupial of the Australian kind. It belonged to an extinct group of South American meat-eating relatives called sparassodonts. Its upper canine teeth grew throughout life into extremely long sabres. Deep bony flanges extended downward from the lower jaw and protected the teeth when the mouth closed. The neck and forequarters were strong, while the body was stockier and lower than a running cat. Its exact weight and natural lifespan are uncertain because only fossils remain. The continually growing sabres and protective jaw flanges were its most special features. Scientists once pictured Thylacosmilus as a direct South American version of Smilodon. New studies show its skull, teeth and feeding style were different, and researchers still debate whether it killed large prey, opened carcasses, ate softer tissues or combined several strategies. It disappeared around the end of the Pliocene, roughly 3 million years ago. No final individual or name was recorded. Changing climates, altered prey communities and the arrival of new predators after animals crossed between North and South America have all been suggested, but fossils do not prove one simple extinction cause. For this page, try tawny brown, smoky grey, reddish gold or pale sand on the coat. Make the belly and muzzle lighter, the nose dark grey and the long sabres ivory or cream. Use a slightly darker brown on the jaw flanges so children can see how they shielded the teeth. Colour the ancient grassland yellow-green or ochre, the shrubs olive, the stones warm grey and the distant hills pale violet. Follow the strong shoulders with curved strokes and use long strokes down the tail. Leave thin white highlights on both sabres. Keep the background simple so the protected canines, powerful neck and low body remain the main lesson. Thylacosmilus shows that evolution can produce a similar dramatic tool—long sabres—in animals from very different family trees.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.