Panthera spelaea: Difference between revisions
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* [[Panthera leo atrox]] |
* [[Panthera leo atrox]] |
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* [[Panthera leo]] |
* [[Panthera leo]] |
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==In popular culture== |
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The Cave Lion is represented as characters and as a revered totemic spirit in the [[Earth's Children]] series of prehistoric fiction, by [[Jean M. Auel]]. It appears in the computer game [[Zoo Tycoon 2: Extinct Animals]]. It was also shown hunting mammoths and Clovis (Cro Mangon) in [[BBC]]'s [[Walking with Beasts]], and stalking extinct [[elephantid]]s called ''[[Stegodon]]'' in [[India]] on the [[Animal Planet]] show [[Animal Armageddon]]. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Revision as of 19:05, 27 February 2010
| Cave lion Temporal range: Middle to Late Pleistocene
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| Cave lion skull | |
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| Subspecies: | †P. l. spelaea
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| Trinomial name | |
| Panthera leo spelaea Goldfuss, 1810
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The cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea) also known as the European or Eurasian cave lion, is an extinct subspecies of lion known from fossils and multiple examples of prehistoric art.
Physical characteristics
This subspecies was one of the largest lions. An adult male, which was found in 1985 near Siegsdorf (Germany), had a shoulder height of around 1.2 m (4 ft) and a body length of 2.1 m (7 ft) without tail. This is similar to the size of a very large modern lion. The size of this male has been exceeded by other specimens of this subspecies. Therefore this cat may have been around 5-10% bigger than modern lions, but it didn't reach the measures of the earlier cave lion subspecies Panthera leo fossilis or those of the huge American lion (Panthera leo atrox).[1] The cave lion is known from Paleolithic cave paintings, ivory carvings, and clay figurines. These representations indicate that cave lions had rounded, protruding ears, tufted tails, possibly faint tiger-like stripes, and that at least some had a "ruff" or primitive mane around their neck, indicating males. Other archaeological artifacts indicate that they were featured in Paleolithic religious rituals.
Environment
The cave lion received its common name from the fact that large quantities of its remains are found in caves [2], but it is doubtful whether they lived in them. It had a wide habitat tolerance, but probably preferred conifer forests and grasslands [3], where medium-sized to large herbivores occurred. Fossil footprints of lions, which were found together with those of reindeer, demonstrate that these cats once occurred even in subpolar climates. The presence of fully articulated adult cave lion skeletons, deep in cave bear dens, indicates that lions may have occasionally entered dens to prey on hibernating cave bears, with some dying in the attempt.[4]
These active carnivores [2] probably preyed upon the large, herbivorous animals of their time, including horses, deer and bison. Some paintings of them in caves show several hunting together, which suggests the hunting strategy of contemporary lionesses.
Small prey was usually brought down with a blow of the front paw and then held down with both front feet. The animal was finally killed by a powerful bite of the sharp teeth [5], at the back of the neck, in the region of the throat and even in the chest. A cave lion usually could not run as fast as its prey, but could pounce on it from behind or run up next to it and bring it down with the paws. In this manner a running animal's balance could very easily be disturbed.
It was most likely the most common predator (after the cave hyena) in plains ecosystems.[citation needed] Its extinction may have been related to the Quaternary extinction event, which wiped out most of the megafauna prey in those regions.[citation needed] Cave paintings and remains found in the refuse piles of ancient camp sites indicate that they were hunted by early humans, which also may have contributed to their demise.[citation needed]
Classification
The cave lion is considered a species in its own right, under the name Panthera spelaea[6], and at least one authority, based on a comparison of skull shapes, considers the cave lion to be more closely related to the tiger, which would result in the formal name Panthera tigris spelaea.[7] However, recent genetic research shows that it was a close, but separate, relative of the modern lion and leopard.[8]
History and distribution
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The cave lion (Panthera spelea) was derived from the earlier Panthera leo fossilis, which first appeared in Europe about 700,000 years ago. The cave lion itself lived from 370,000 to 10,000 years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch. Apparently, it became extinct about 10,000 years ago [3][5], during the Würm glaciation, although there are some indications it may have existed into historic times in southeastern Europe, as recently as 2,000 years ago in the Balkans.[9]
Cave lions were widespread in parts of Europe and Asia, from Great Britain, Germany and Spain (Arduini & Teruzzi, 1993) all the way to the Bering Strait and from Siberia to Turkistan.[10]
References
- ^ W. v. Koenigswald: Lebendige Eiszeit. Theiss-Verlag, 2002. ISBN 3-8062-1734-3
- ^ a b Arduini, P. & Teruzzi, G. 1993. The MacDonald encyclopedia of fossils. Little, Brown and Company, London. 320pp.
- ^ a b Hublin, J.-J. 1984. The Hamlyn encyclopedia of prehistoric animals. Hamlyn, London. 318pp.
- ^ 15TH INTERNATIONAL CAVE BEAR SYMPOSIUM SPIŠSKÁ NOVÁ VES, SLOVAKIA, 17th – 20th of September 2009
- ^ a b Lessem, D. 1999. Dinosaurs to dodos. An encyclopedia of extinct animals. Scholastic, New York. 122pp.
- ^ Christiansen, Per (December 2008): "Phylogeny of the great cats (Felidae: Pantherinae), and the influence of fossil taxa and missing characters" Cladistics Vol.24, Nu.6,pp. 977-992(16)
- ^ Groiss, J. Th. (1996): Der Höhlentiger Panthera tigris spelaea (Goldfuss). Neues Jahrb. Geol. Paläont. Mh. Vol.7, p.399–414.
- ^ Burger, Joachim et al. (2004): Molecular phylogeny of the extinct cave lion Panthera leo spelaea. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. Vol.30, p.841-849.
- ^ Wild cats of the world by C A W Guggisberg (1975) ISBN 0800883241 and Pleistocene mammals of Europe by Björn Kurtén (1968) [not seen]
- ^ 'Supersize' lions roamed Britain BBC News 1 April 2009
See also
External links
- Prehistoric cats and prehistoric cat-like creatures, from the Messybeast Cat Resource Archive.
- American lion, by C. R. Harrington, from Yukon Beringia Interpretative Center.
- The mammoth and the flood, volume 5, chapter 1, by Hans Krause.
- Hoyle and cavetigers, from the Dinosaur Mailing List. (Groiss)
- The Interaction of the European Cave Lion and Primitive Humans
