Prehistoric Sabre-tooth cat

27 x 19 cm (10.6 x 7.4 inches)
Machairodus
This animals was about 2 metres long and probably hunted as an ambush predator. Its legs were too short to sustain a long chase, so it most likely was a good jumper, and used its canines to cut open the throat of its prey.

This antique lithograph was made in about 1910 and is in excellent condition. It is from a rare set of collecting cards about dinosaurs, prehistoric animals and strange animals, Tiere der Urwelt (animals of the prehistoric world) by Heinrich Harder. On the back is text about the animal by the naturalist Wilhelm Bölsche. They remain some of the most intriguing images of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals and are still referred to. Harder is well known for his murals of extinct creatures at Berlin Zoo, and was art professor at Berlin University.