The skulls showed the saber tooth socket was occupied by two teeth, with the adult tooth slotted into the baby tooth.

The study looked at saber-toothed cat fossils found in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. There are at least five separate lineages of saber-toothed animals that have evolved around the world. The species Smilodon fatalis roamed widely across North America and into Central America, before going extinct about 10,000 years ago.

The formidable, saber-like fangs of Smilodon fatalis, also known as saber-toothed cats, are a symbol of prehistoric ferocity and a subject of scientific fascination.

Mississippi resident Eddie Templeton recently discovered a bone that once belonged to a saber-tooth tiger. Now he wants to find one of its teeth.

California's state fossil—are familiar to anyone who has ever visited Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits, a sticky trap from which more than 2,000 saber-toothed cat skulls have been excavated over more than a century.

California's state fossil — are familiar to anyone who has ever visited Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits, a sticky trap from which more th