The Phantom from the Ice Age

Mom, we are going out to play!” cried Terry, the little tiger cub. “Alright, but don’t stray too close to the edge of the forest!” his mother called back. “Remember, we’re still new to this place, and there are humans living outside the forest!” “Yes mom!” called back Terry, and he giggled. Terry and his siblings had no intention of obeying their mother!

“What if there are humans outside the forest? Why should we tigers be scared of them?” remarked Tessy, Terry’s sister.“Exactly! It’s the humans who should be scared of us!” growled his brother, Tish. Terry laughed in agreement. “We are the big, ferocious and smart tigers of the forest!” he declared, “The descendants of the Sabre-toothed tiger!” Terry was proud to be a tiger, and felt they were the most superior of the jungle animals.

He was particularly impressed by the stories he had heard of the great Sabre-toothed tiger, a ferocious animal with long canine teeth that lived long, long, ago and who the tigers believed was their ancestor. But he quite forgot that he and the others were still cubs, and quite small in size- just like the normal cats we see around our neighbourhood! “What about the lions then? They are big too”, remarked Tessy nervously. “Don’t be an idiot.

Lions may be big, but they’re lazy. Don’t you know it’s the females in the pack who do most of the hunting?” said Tish scornfully. “We’re not like that! Tigers are brave and adventurous, male and female alike!” “So let’s have fun now!” roared naughty Terry and they raced each other to the edge of the forest.

The forest edge had tall grasses, beyond which lay human settlements, clear of grass and trees. The cubs crouched in the grass. They could hear the humans busily calling out to each other, talking and laughing. Terry crept up to the edge of the grassland, and slowly put his nose out and sniffed the air. A confusing mixture of smells floated up to him- of cooked meat, of humans, of smoke, and surprisingly, a very, very strong smell of an animal- a smell very much like that of a tiger!

How could there be any other tiger in the place, Terry wondered. And how was it possible that the humans could be so relaxed in the presence of a tiger? “What’s up, Terry?” asked Tish, a little impatient to explore. “Shhh….!” said Terry, motioning them to be quiet. He couldn’t see any humans around where he was hiding. So he cautiously crept out into the clearing and turned in the direction of the smell, and came face to face with a – cat.

Now, this cat was the usual domesticated variety that stayed as a pet in people’s homes. It sat there, leisurely licking its paws, while Terry stared open mouthed at it. Terry was astonished. He had never seen a house cat before. The tigers were also from the cat family, like the lions.

No wonder it had smelt so familiar. But the creature in front of him looked nothing like the jungle cats back home- it was only slightly larger than Terry himself, pale grey and white in colour, and yet, it sat there, acting just like the tigers did, and smelling very much like one!

He came out and confronted the cat. “Who’re you?” The cat looked least bothered. “I am a cat”, it said simply. “What do you mean- ‘a cat’? What are you doing here with these humans?” hissed Terry. “I’m a pet cat”, it said, “Humans look after me and give me food. I like being pampered by them.”

This was all new for Terry, but looking at the size of the cat, he decided that this creature which lived with humans could NEVER be a cat. Real cats were the ferocious, wild jungle cats- the Tigers! He drew himself to his full height, and growled, “My ancestor is the great Sabre-toothed tiger.

And I am a tiger! We are the real cats! Don’t go around thinking you are a cat, and don’t you dare tell anyone that you’re a cat! I’ll make mincemeat out of you.” The cat looked annoyed. “You boast too much”, he screeched angrily. Just then both heard a commotion and Terry heard the cries of his siblings.

They had been caught by a human! “Terry, help us!” they cried, as Terry saw them being carried away in a net. He turned to go after them, but he found himself being dragged away into the grass. “Let me go, I need to save my siblings”, he cried. A deep voice spoke to him, “Don’t be foolish, little one. You will be caught too.”

Terry stopped crying and turned to look at his saviour. Standing before him was the famed Sabre-toothed Tiger! Terry rubbed his eyes in wonder. How could this be true? His mother had said that the Sabre-toothed tigers had been wiped out from the face of the earth 11,000 years ago!

“You cannot free your siblings on your own. You need help”, the Sabre said to Terry. “Will you help me?” said Terry hopefully. “I can’t, because the humans can spot me easily”, said the Sabre. “But you should take the pet cat’s help.” “What? Never! He is nothing like us. It is only we, tigers, who are fierce and capable!” Terry was furious.

The Sabre smiled and said, “Who said that I’m like you? I’m only distantly related to today’s lions, tigers, and cheetahs. Everyone thinks of us as large tigers with long, strong teeth, but that’s not true. We are prehistoric cats who lived in the Ice Age, but we can’t pursue our prey like the tigers do. We are shorter and heavier than tigers, and we hunt in packs. In fact, we are just cats. Not tigers.”

Terry was shocked. The hero he had idolized was not a tiger at all! The Sabre understood what Terry was thinking. “Don’t be so disheartened. It takes all kinds to make up this world, and the cat family has all sorts of cats— ferocious tigers like you, cats like me, and the harmless pet cats out there. Now go quickly and save your siblings!”

Terry understood. He hurried to find the pet cat and asked his help. The cat seemed doubtful at first, and then smiled. “We are all cats, and I will help you”, he said. Being a pet cat, he knew all the tricks of humans and in no time, freed the cubs from the net, while the men were away. Terry thanked him and quickly escaped with his siblings into the grass.

They ran home as fast as they could. But Terry turned around to look for the Sabre. He spotted him far away, waving to him. Then he vanished! Terry stopped in his tracks. “What’s wrong? Who’re you waving to?” asked Tish. “Didn’t you see the Sabre?” asked Terry. “What Sabre? It’s your imagination. Come on!” said Tessy and dragged him away.

Terry wondered if the Sabre he had seen was a ghost or a phantom. But whoever he was, he had helped him- not only to free his siblings but also to let him know, who really the Sabre-toothed cats were.

Weren’t Sabre-toothed cats really tigers?

No, they were not! If you’ve seen the Ice Age movie, you must probably be thinking that Sabre-toothed cats are just tigers with long canines. But in fact, Sabre-toothed cats, also called Smilodon, were more bear-like, and hunted in packs, unlike the tigers, who are solitary hunters.

The Sabre-toothed cats also couldn’t pursue their prey over long distances. Instead, they waited in hiding for their prey to come along, and jumped out in a surprise attack. They used their long canine-teeth to cut deep into the sensitive areas of their prey like the neck or the stomach, and then waited for the victim to bleed to death.

The long canine teeth were also not very strong— they could break easily, and would never grow back again. The Sabre-toothed cats lived during the Ice Age, and became extinct around 11,000 years ago.

By: Sneha Verghese