'Jurassic Park' (1993) Has a Saber-Toothed Tiger and We All Missed It!

It’s nothing new to say that Jurassic Park (1993) is known for its dinosaurs. Some fans even say they’re the real stars of the film series, and thus even more appealing to audiences than iconic human characters like Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm) and Chris Pratt (Owen Grady).

But now that we’re almost seven films into the franchise, with Jurassic World Rebirth (2025) inching closer, isn’t it about time the series gave us some other prehistoric creatures in addition to dinosaurs? What about animals like the woolly mammoth and Smilodon?

While it’s fairly obvious what the woolly mammoth is, fans unfamiliar with more paleontological terms might not know what Smilodon is — in short, it’s more commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger. Yes, the prehistoric wildcat with two enormous fangs.

But why haven’t animals like this appeared in the Jurassic franchise before? Surely the scientists have access to prehistoric DNA beyond dinosaurs? Yes, they do — after all, the latest film, Jurassic World Dominion (2022), even gave us a horde of prehistoric locusts.

And let’s not forget that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) gave us the franchise’s first-ever (and so far, only) human clone in Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon).

Not only is it strange that the filmmakers have yet to put the likes of these non-dinosaur prehistoric mammals (of the Pleistocene epoch) in the Jurassic films, it’s even stranger to think that InGen didn’t create any when they have a wealth of DNA at their disposal.

Well, actually, they did.

And not just InGen, but other bioengineering corporations like Masrani Global (of 2015’s Jurassic World) and Mantah Corp from the animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, too.

But keeping focus on the original Jurassic Park, the proof is in the image below, which is the giftshop scene from the 1993 film, just before Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) sits down to talk with John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) in the restaurant:

As you can see, there are saber-toothed tiger plushies next to the dinosaur ones on the shelf. While this doesn’t necessarily suggest that InGen has the prehistoric cats somewhere on Isla Nublar (or Isla Sorna/Site B), the fact they’ve already merchandized them speaks volumes.

But as we go deeper into the Jurassic franchise, this time steering away from the big screen, proof of saber-toothed tigers becomes indisputable.

The fake Masrani Corporation website – set up to promote Jurassic World (2015) – also hinted at saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths while referring to a dig site in Siberia. While no such creatures are mentioned in the 2015 film, you can see a saber-toothed tiger’s skull on display in the background in the Lockwood Manor museum in Fallen Kingdom.

The Pleistocene predators have also appeared in two video games over the years, too: “Jurassic Park: Builder” and “Jurassic World: Alive”.

While those entries aren’t exactly canon, the first proper confirmation of their existence in the Jurassic universe came in Netflix’s Camp Cretaceous, which is considered canon with the film series. It’s implied that the one-off creature belongs to Mantah Corp:

Related: 7 Reasons Why A Future ‘Jurassic World’ Movie Probably Won’t Have Dinosaurs

Will There Be Any Saber-Toothed Tigers in Jurassic World Rebirth?

The upcoming film Jurassic World Rebirth, which is directed by Gareth Edwards (2014’s Godzilla, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), and stars Scarlett Johansson in the lead role, is unlikely to feature animals such as the woolly mammoth and the saber-toothed tiger.

Not only have they been absent from all of the marketing (including trailers and toy lines), the film has already confirmed that it’s focusing on mutated dinosaurs like the Distortus Rex and the Mutadons.

Related: ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ May Be the Last Film to Feature Dinosaurs

We Might See Them in “Jurassic World Evolution 3” or “Jurassic Park: Survival”

Prehistoric creatures such as the woolly mammoth and saber-toothed tigers may appear in one or both of the upcoming video games, “Jurassic Park: Survival”, which takes place on Isla Nublar 24 hours after the events of the 1993 film, and “Jurassic World Evolution 3”, the third entry in the popular park management simulation series.

Would you like to see saber-toothed tigers appear in future Jurassic content? Let us know in the comments below!