Image Caption
These skulls belong to extinct animals, and both of them have saberteeth — long, ferocious canines. Would you guess that these saberteeth are homologous — inherited from a common ancestor with extra-long saberteeth?
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This image is part of a series:
![The ancestor of marsupials and placentals did not have saber teeth](https://evolution.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/marsupials_placentals_2020-14-1024x634-1-350x350.png)
Analogies (2 of 3) Saberteeth
Despite their similarities, the unusual length of these teeth is NOT homologous. One skull belongs to Thylacosmilus, a marsupial mammal. The other belongs to Smilodon, the saber-toothed cat, which is…![Smilodon and Thylacosmilus independently evolved saber teeth.](https://evolution.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/marsupials_placentals_02_2020-e1629239749506-350x350.png)