#smilodon californicus

[morggo]

Smilodon

Second illustration for my campaign. Will be available as a signed print when you pledge to my Prehistoric Pins Kickstarter campaign.

[juno-infernal]

Okay serious question, I'm not from the US - is a state bird just something the average American just knows off the top of their head for their home state?

i’m not sure how universal it is, but in california at least, the state flag, flower (the california golden poppy), and bird (the california quail) are things we learn in primary school.

they’re among the older and more significant types of state symbols. US states have a tendency to designate a lot of fairly random stuff as official state symbols (see california’s list here, including such essential categories as official state soil, dance style, outdoor play, prehistoric artifact, tall ship, and freshwater fish), but i think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who knows more than a few off the top of their head.

the presence of the bird and the flower in a lot of art representing the state and in early education means a lot more of us know and remember them. other USAmericans are welcome to chime in here about whether they had to look it up/if they consider their state bird to be common knowledge— i’m curious now too!

[scribblesartcollective]

You know what else you can see at the pits? Smilodon! The famous saber-toothed cat. The species most famous here in California is the aptly named Smilodon californicus. It's also our state fossil. #californiaprehistory #californiatarpits #californiafossils #smilodonfatalis #smilodon #smilodoncalifornicus #sabertooth #sabertoothedtiger #labreatarpits #candy #onioncakespins #prehistoric #prehistoricmammals #tarpit (at Scribbles Art Collective) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjt_dbbLzhI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dinodorks]

Smilodon fossil 

by greyloch

[pgmnhcollection]

Smilodon californicus (Saber-tooth tiger) metatarsal

Excavated at Rancho La Brea, California circa 1920

To help support the preservation of our collection click here.

[artifactgraphics]

The second annual Dino Fest will be held at the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum next weekend! 

Come visit the Artifact Graphics table, and be rewarded with the lowest prices ever on our Blue-Blooded Dinosaur matted art prints. We are totally liquidating our stock! We also have plenty of oil paintings. Did you know that California is soon going to have an official state dinosaur? Augustynolophus morrisi was a local duck-billed dinosaur that lived 66 million years ago. (It is not to be confused with our state fossil, Smilodon californicus, the saber-toothed cat.) Artifact Graphics is featuring postcards and prints available in honor of the occasion. Here is a link to the Museum's Dino Fest webpage: Dino Fest

I look forward to seeing you there!

Doc Robin

[smilodon-californicus]

So many WIPs!! More from the Beneski Museum at Amherst College - Smilodon californicus and Megacerops tyleri.

[dinodorks]

Panthera leo atrox (American lion) and Smilodon californicus (California saber-tooth) skeletons on display at the George C. Page Museum.