Nicole Levering, age 12, of Jackson, Miss., for her question:

HOW LONG WERE A SABER TOOTHED TIGER'S TEETH?

Saber toothed tigers were catlike prehistoric animals. The first ones lived about 40 million years ago. Each animal had two teeth shaped like curved swords or sabers, and they were about eight inches long.

Although the saber toothed tiger became extinct about 12,000 years ago, we have been able to learn much about them from fossils found in Africa, Europe and North and South America.

The cats were probably as heavy as today's tigers. They probably ate thick skinned animals such as elephants, mastodons and ground sloths.

The saber teeth were enlarged canine teeth. They were long and pointed and found near the front of the animal's mouth. You could say the teeth were fanglike.

The tiger that lives today is the largest member of the cat family. An adult male can weigh as much as 420 pounds and he can be nine feet long, including a three foot tail. Females average about 300 pounds and are about eight feet long.

Wild tigers today are found only in Asia.