Machairodus is a large, sabertoothed cat that lived in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America from approximately 13 million years ago to 2 million years ago. It is an ancestor of Smilodon, more commonly known as the sabertooth cat or sabertooth tiger. Machairodus was itself descended from Proailurus. Its existence coincides in part with that of Dinofelis, which lived from 5 million to 1.5 million years ago.