Sarah L. Thomson is a former children's book editor who is now a full-time children's book writer. She has written more than thirty books across many genres, including Ancient Animals- Terror Bird, the first book in this series. She lives in Portland, Maine.
The Ancient Animals series continues with a look at what's known
about the saber-toothed cats that lived thousands of years ago. An
imagined hunting scene kicks off this introduction to saber-toothed
cats, a well-camouflaged Smilodon fatalis hiding under a bush while
a bear, a lion and two wolves pass by (all in the same
illustration). A bison is the cat's prey. Using its strong legs and
sharp claws, the cat drags down the bison, killing it with either a
bite to the throat or a slash to the bison's stomach or side.
Thomson goes on to explain how we know so much about these ancient
cats: Bones found in asphalt tell us about its size, and from that,
scientists can determine what it ate, how it caught its prey and a
bit about its social groups. Scientists think that these cats
became extinct because of competition for prey: Early humans hunted
the same animals, and there was less prey to go around because a
warming climate meant less grass for them to eat. Plant's acrylic
gouache illustrations are quite realistic, and each animal is
helpfully labeled with its scientific name. Backmatter includes a
list of other "large-toothed hunter[s]" and resources for finding
out more. A good introduction to both saber-toothed cats and
paleontology.
-Kirkus Reviews
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