Cougars may have survived the mass extinction 12,000 years ago because they weren't "picky eaters."

The researchers believe the large feline's varied diet could have given them an advantage over their peers that perished, such as the saber-toothed tiger, a Vanderbilt University news release reported.

"Before the Late Pleistocene extinction, six species of large cats roamed the plains and forests of North America. Only two - the cougar and jaguar - survived. The goal of our study was to examine the possibility that dietary factors can explain the cougar's survival," Larisa R.G. DeSantis, assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at Vanderbilt University, said in the news release.

Researchers used a new technique called dental microwear texture analysis (DMTA) to make their findings. The technique uses a confocal microscope to create a 3D image of a tooth. The researchers looked for wear patterns to gain insight into the animal's diet.

The team looked at teeth from 50 fossilized and modern cougars and compared them to the teeth of other felines, including the saber-toothed tiger. The remains were excavated from California's La Brea tar pits.

The team noticed the teeth of the now extinct American lion resembled those of modern cheetahs, which are relatively picky eaters. The felines were believed to only eat the tender flesh of their prey and possible gnaw the bones. Saber-toothed tigers were believed to have similar diets.

Some of the cougars appeared to have similar diets to the picky eaters; but others had tooth wear similar to what has been seen in hyenas, which consume their entire prey.

"This suggests that the Pleistocene cougars had a 'more generalized' dietary behavior," DeSantis said. "Specifically, they likely killed and often fully consumed their prey, more so than the large cats that went extinct."

These findings are consistent in what has been observed in modern cougars, which are "opportunistic hunters" that will even dine on discarded carrion.