“(Smilodon and Homotherium) are believed to have coexisted with humans”

Source Folks been sending me a photo of a petroglyph (rock art) apparently found in Bahia, Brazil; it shows what at first glance could be interpreted as some sort of mammal with what might be long fangs or tusks pointing downwards, short pointed ears (?), a short tail, and what may or may not be vertical stripes running down from its back. Is this, perhaps, a prehistoric human’s portrayal of the fearsome Smilodon populator, the top cat in South America during the late Pleistocene? The apparent lack of sabercat depictions has baffled us for a long time- seeing as at least two genera (Smilodon and Homotherium) are believed to have coexisted with humans during the late Pleistocene, one would expect these creatures to have left a deep impression in our forebear’s minds, yet precious few depictions have been suggested as potential sabercats. This Brazilian petroglyph, if genuinly prehistoric, is very interesting to compare with another found in Arizona, which also seems to portray a…