The fossil American lion ( Panthera atrox ) in South America: Palaeobiogeographical implications

CHIMENTO, NICOLÁS R.; AGNOLIN, FEDERICO L.

COMPTES RENDUS PALEVOL

ELSEVIER FRANCE-EDITIONS SCIENTIFIQUES MEDICALES ELSEVIER

Año: 2017 vol. 16 p. 850 - 864

1631-0683

tBy the late 19th and early 20th centuries, authors described several specimens belongingto a very large felid, the size of a lion, from some Late Pleistocene localities at southernChile and Argentina. These remains were considered as belonging to large and now extinctsubspecies of jaguar. In the present contribution based on qualitative and quantitativepostcranial and cranial characters, we conclude that that the ?Patagonian Panthera? shouldbe considered as representing remains of the American Cave Lion Panthera atrox. Evidenceat hand indicates that Panthera atrox was a very large lion-like felid, with reddish skin, thatinhabited dry open habitats. Furthermore, in contrast to living jaguars, transported andaccumulated its preys in rocky dens. The presence of at least two pantherine lineages (i.e.P. onca and P. atrox) in the Pleistocene of South America indicates that the lineage has a longand complex history in the New World, and that the history of the clade in this landmassis still far from being well understood.