Saber-Toothed Vegetarian Had Threatening Mouthful

 "Think 'saber-toothed' and meat-eating predators like cats probably come to mind. But Brazil was once home to a saber-toothed vegetarian with teeth so scary that rivals probably backed away after seeing them.

Paleontologists also believe the 260-million-year-old animal, described in the latest issue of Science, was one of the first of its kind to sport upper and lower teeth that fit together when it bit down, a handy feature called 'dental occlusion' that we humans and many other animals today enjoy.

The new species, named Tiarajudens eccentricus, was part of a group of ancient animals called therapsids, many of which are relatives of today's mammals.

'Tiarajudens was an animal the size of a large dog,' project leader Juan Carlos Cisneros told Discovery News. Its general appearance was bizarre: a slightly robust animal with a short snout from which large saber teeth came out.'"
via Discovery News/continue reading