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Getty Images1 of 9
According to The Press Enterprise, paleontologists from the San Bernadino County Museum discovered saber-toothed cat fossils in the northern region of Las Vegas, Nevada.
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San Bernardino County Museum/facebook2 of 9
While you can find these fossils all over California, they have never been seen outside of the state.
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Getty Images3 of 9
However, this has not stopped fossil hunters from seeking out the ancient cat's fossils in the Nevada desert. They have been searching the region north of Las Vegas since the 1920s to no avail.
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Dallas Krentzel/flickr4 of 9
The scientific name for the extinct species is known as smilodon fatalis.
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Wikimedia5 of 9
The initial discovery occurred in 2003 when a survey was conducted by scientists from the same California museum.
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San Bernardino County Museum/facebook6 of 9
They found two broken limb bones, but the identity of the fossils were difficult to find, due to the sediment surrounding them.
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Wikimedia7 of 9
It wasn't until 2008 that a research grant was given from the Southern Nevada District Office of the Bureau of Land Management to the researchers. As a result, they were able to finish cleaning, stabilizing and identifying the fossils.
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Foxtongue/flickr8 of 9
Scientists were able to conclude that the fossil belonged to a 15,000-year-old saber-toothed cat.
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Ed Bierman/flickr9 of 9Next: Boy Finds Amazingly Preserved Mammoth
To read the San Bernadino County Museum's news release in its entirety, click here.
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1 Comment
Of course these creatures were in Vegas! They worked as bouncers at the first casinos, lol!
December 04 2012 at 7:36 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply