Smilodon, the "Knife Tooth," is commonly referred to as the saber-toothed tiger despite its very distant relations to tigers. It was a very robust feline, with the largest species (Smilodon populator) weighing in at a whopping four hundred kilograms. It stood around 120 centimeters tall, which is comparable to the height of a tiger. Its iconic canines were 28 centimeters long and relatively fragile; they could not be used to take down prey but were rather used to deliver the killing bite to the throat. This, and the fact that their powerful bodies were built for jumping, makes Smilodon into a highly efficient killing machine. All species of Smilodon lived in the Pleistocene Epoch, covering a territory that stretched from North to South America. They likely hunted in packs, working together to bring down large mammals in forest and bush environments. Their proficiency in jumping means that they may have been ambush predators like many modern big cats. However, although apex predators, Smilodon faced several threats. Ravenous cave lions and dire wolves competed with Smilodon for the same resources, and confrontations were certain. They also fell victim to the infamous tar pits, such as the ones in La Brea, California.