Smilodon ( /ˈsmaɪlədɒn/), often called a saber-toothed cat or (incorrectly) saber-toothed tiger, is an extinct genus of machairodonts. This sabre-toothed cat was endemic to North America and South America, living from near the beginning through the very end of the Pleistocene epoch (2.5 mya—10,000 years ago).