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Saber-Tooth Cats and Dire Wolves Had Joint Ailments During the Latter Years of the Ice Age

The able predators developed painful joint ailments at a high rate, according to a new study by a veterinary surgeon who examined hundreds of fossils.

By Matt Hrodey
Aug 3, 2023 9:00 PM
Sabre Tooth Tiger
(Credit: Daniel Eskridge/Shutterstock)

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Inbreeding is not just something that happens among animals held in captivity. It can also happen to endangered populations in the wild, as is the case with the highly threatened Florida panther. Only about 200 live in the wild, a vanishingly narrow gene pool.

As a result, the panthers often suffer from misshapen tails, heart defects, undescended testicles and joint disease.

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