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Brutonyx [2019-09-16 17:44:08 +0000 UTC]

Good restoration, but the fact is, the lipped model requires a level of soft-tissue lippage which not only opposes the feline EPB, but would be unprecedented among any living mammal. How would lips of that size actually function? It's difficult to imagine how the obicularis oris would work in this model: this would be enormous, dropping ring of muscle around the mouth, and I'm not sure how it could be cleared from the teeth when biting and feeding, assuming normal principles of mammalian face musculature. It's possible that Smilodon had a unique facial myology of course, although the consistency of face muscles across mammals argues for this being unlikely. Such muscles controlling the lip would need to be very large, and it would be expected to see some indication of this on the skull itself as we do in other mammals with sophisticated facial soft-tissues (like trunks and proboscides). Generations of people who know carnivoran anatomy very well have pored over machairodont skulls and never commented on such features.
Regarding a lower lip coverage, it must be noted that most carnivorous mammals hava very large, fleshy upper lips over thinner, tightly-bound soft tissues of the lower jaw, so unless Smilodon and kin had lip anatomy completely unlike their modern relatives, their canine teeth must have been exposed (Witton 2018). Of course there's the exception of the clouded leopard, which sheaths a long set of canines in its lower jaw, but they're not even close to the size of Smilodon's sabers.
Regarding canine configuration, while it's likely that Smilodon canine function lacks exact modern functional analogues, the sabre teeth of tusked deer are not too far off in terms of physical demand (being routinely used in aggressive, tissue-tearing fights that leave victims scarred and wounded) and anatomy (thin layers of enamel over much of the tooth - Smilodon canines are not thickly enamelled), and still these animals have them exposed.
As a general rule, especially long teeth which project a considerable distance from the margins of the skull and lower jaw should be considered strong candidates for permanent exposure.

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IThinkOfaNameLater [2016-10-17 02:49:49 +0000 UTC]

I like this idea, it's very interesting.

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AnonymousLlama428 [2016-09-16 15:44:53 +0000 UTC]

Nice!!
I would have to say, those chins should be a bit more rounded....

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