A study of the animals’ teeth has deepened the mystery of why large beasts were wiped out in North America more than 10,000 years ago.
It was thought a changing climate and human activity killed them off when prey became scarce.
These cats seemed to be living the good life, at least up until the very end.
But research, published in the online journal Public Library of Science ONE, found few teeth crunch marks – a sign carnivores are consuming as much of their kill as possible.
Study leader Dr Larisa DeSantis, from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, said: “These cats seemed to be living the good life, at least up until the very end.”