Smilodon and humans in the Late Pleistocene Smilodon fatalis, commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger (more accurately a saber-toothed cat), lived in the Americas at the same time as early human populations during the Late Pleistocene. Archaeological and paleontological evidence suggests that their interaction was indirect but significant. Humans and Smilodon fatalis targeted similar large herbivores, including bison, mammoths, and ground sloths. This overlap placed them in direct competition