On a cold winter night 20,000 years ago in North America, the saber-toothed cat Smilodon fatalis declares its supremacy over its hunting ground with a roar to the starry heavens. Although saber-toothed cats like Smilodon were not true tigers, they probably were able to roar like modern big cats due to possessing a similar arrangement of hyoid bones attached to their larynx (voice box).