There were several species of this saber-toothed cat across North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. It was similar in build to a modern jaguar, with more powerful front legs — which means that it probably ambushed its prey and used its front legs to hold the prey down while it made a clean kill with its teeth.

PRONUNCIATION: DY-NO-FEE-LIS
LIVED: 5 – 1.4 million years ago
SIZE: 2.3 feet tall at the shoulder
FACT: Carnivorous, feeding on antelope, baboons and our distant ancestors, australopithecines
MEANING: Terrible cat
CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVE: Modern cats
RANGE: Africa, North America, Asia and Europe