Prehistoric cats and cat-like creatures.
Aug. 30th, 2007 11:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ferinePoured over PREHISTORIC CATS AND PREHISTORIC CAT-LIKE CREATURES; the page has lots of resources cited which makes me happy. Here are a few excerpts I found particularly interesting:
"Although they are often called "big cats" many of the prehistoric species were not true cats, but were cat-like mammals. South America and Australia were both island continents and lacked placental mammals. The "lions" and "tigers" of those continents were lion-like marsupials, more closely related to kangaroos, wombats and their like. They are known as "cat analogues" as they resembled cats and filled the same ecological niche as cats. Another line of prehistoric cats were the Paleofelids ("ancient cats") that developed in parallel with the true cats and from a common ancestor, but which have left no modern descendants. Finally there are the prehistoric true cats, extinct relatives of modern cats. Why would evolution create creatures very similar in form to cats? It's an example of convergent evolution - there are a limited number of solutions to environmental conditions hence animals that aren't closely related often independently evolve similar traits as they both adapt to similar environments and niches. The cat-like form has evolved at least three times: marsupial lions/tigers, Paleofelids and Neofelids. Sabre-toothed cat-like animals evolved separately four times in evolutionary history: Nimravids, Felids, Creodonts and the Thylacosmilids."
"18 million years ago, Schizailurus gave rise to the Felidae. The first of the modern Felids were the early cheetahs; now represented by Acinonyx (modern cheetah); true cheetahs are believed to have evolved around 7 million years ago. Some sources claim Miracinonyx (North American cheetahs) evolved only 4 million years ago from Acinonyx, but recent studies show Miracinonyx was probably ancestral to both cheetahs and puma and was intermediate in type between these two modern species."
"The jaguar-sized Thylacosmilus ("pouched blade") was a large, predatory marsupial; part of a unique group of predators on the South American pampas; the borhyaenids. These appeared in the Miocene and ruled the South American forests and woodlands for some 30 million years, but have no known ancestor or descendant. Thylacosmilus was the most successful member of that family and was the ultimate mammalian predator of its day in Plio-Pleistocene South America, but when the continents of North America and South America joined, it lost out to the more highly developed and faster eutherian cats.
Two species are described: T atrox and T lentis. Thylacosmilus atrox looked like a sabre-toothed cat, but is more closely related to kangaroos. As far as we know, Thylacosmilus was the only marsupial to have developed the sabre-toothed weapon. Like Smilodon, the eutherian sabre-tooth tiger, it had adapted to hunting mega-fauna.
Thylacosmilus lacked incisor teeth, but had very long upper canine teeth that grew continually. These long stabbing teeth projected below the mouth-line. Strong neck and jaw muscles allowed the sabre-teeth to be driven downward with a tremendous killing force. Its huge stabbing teeth were about 15 cm (6 inches) long (longer than those of Smilodon) and may have been used to slash the soft throat of its prey. The jaws were capable of a gape that left the teeth clear to do their work. These sabres grew continually throughout Thylacosmilus's life, much like the incisors of modern rodents. Unlike Smilodon (see later), it had no scabbard-like tooth-guards on its lower jaw though its skull had a deep flange on its lower jaw, forming a protective sheath for when the sabre teeth were not being used.
Unlike modern cats, which tend to be sleek and long-legged, it appears to have been short-legged and heavily built, being about 1.2 metres (4 ft) long and weighing around 100 kilos. Its claws were not retractile. It probably preyed on large, slow-moving mammals and when the two continents joined, the highly specialised Thylacosmilus could not compete against the faster, sleeker eutherian big cats. South America has also had at least three species of cats whose body weights exceeded 300 kilos - about twice the weight of modern lions."
"Panthera leo spelaea, the European Cave Lion (300,000 to 10,000 years ago), was probably the largest cat that ever lived, being around 25% larger than modern lions, and larger than modern Siberian tigers. It was probably comparable in size to modern liger hybrids. It ranged across most of Europe and is depicted in cave paintings. Cave paintings and remains show that it lived until historical times in south-eastern Europe and possibly as recently as 2000 years ago in the Balkans. Cave paintings from Germany show cave lions as having ruffs or manes and tufted tails. A wall engraving from France and an ivory figurine of a lion-pelt-wearing human from Russia indicate faintly striped pelts. European Cave Lions inhabited steppes and parkland regions in the north and semi-desert areas in the south of Eurasia. They were evidently not adapted to deep snow or to dense forests.
Panthera atrox (P leo atrox) was a North American lion whose range extended to northern South America (Peru). P atrox crossed to North America over the Bering Strait land bridge during the last ice age, about 35,000 to 20,000 years ago. Its remains have been found in Alaska and some specimens have been found in the La Brea tar pits, Los Angeles, USA. Relatively few P atrox fossils have been recovered from La Brea compared to fossils of other carnivores; this lion may have been intelligent enough to avoid the natural traps. It probably hunted deer, North American horses (which became extinct and were reintroduced by European settlers) and American bison. They were among the largest flesh-eating land animals that lived during the Ice Age. Compared to modern African lions, they attained enormous size (25% larger) and had relatively long, slender limbs.
Panthera schaubi, currently classified as Puma schaubi, was a short-faced leopard-like cat about the size of a small leopard or large lynx; it is believed to be an Old World puma. Fossil leopards have been found in France and Italy, but in small quantities suggesting they were not prevalent in Europe. Felis lacustris ("Lake Cat"), also appears to be a North American Pliocene puma.
Panthera gombaszoegensis (P onca gombaszoegensis), the European Jaguar, was present around 1.6 million years ago and was larger than early American jaguars, probably hunting larger prey. They ranged across Italy, England, Germany, Spain, and France. Although currently given its own classification, P toscana, the Tuscany Lion (aka Tuscany Jaguar), may turn out to be a synonym for P gombaszoegensis. A form similar to P gombaszoegensis has been found dating from early Pleistocene East Africa and had both lion- and tiger-like characters.
"Pleistocene Tigers" have been found in Alaska, North America and are dated at only 100,000 years ago. There is debate over whether these were tigers or lions since the two species are structurally similar, resulting in some authorities giving the American tigers a separate classification. Pleistocene jaguars (approx 1.5 million years ago) were found as far north as Washington state and Nebraska, USA. Similar in size to modern jaguars they probably had similar lifestyles and pursued similar prey. The modern jaguar's range is South America and Central America, although some individuals have been found as far north as Texas and Florida, USA.
Lynx were known to be present in North America and Eurasia in Pliocene or Pleistocene time. The common ancestor of modern lynx and bobcats was probably a North American lynx of 6.7 million years ago. The extinct Issoire Lynx (Lynx issiodorensis) of 4 million years ago was larger than modern lynx with shorter legs. Modern lynx are smaller, a trend that is true in other species such as cheetah, jaguar, leopard and lion where the prehistoric forms were giants compared to their modern descendents. Their larger size was either an adaptation to colder climes or to cope with larger prey species.
A Pliocene Lynx from Britain was described as Felis (Lynx) brevirostris in 1889. Bobcats are related the Lynx. Earliest records of Bobcats (Lynx rufus, Felis rufus) date back 3.2 to 1.8 million years ago. It is the descendant of an earlier and larger Pleistocene species Lynx issiodorensis. A predominant Pleistocene subspecies of Bobcat was Lynx rufus calcaratus (Irvingtonian Bobcat), which was slightly larger than modern Bobcats. Another Pleistocene subspecies was Lynx rufus koakudsi.
North American Pliocene small cats include: Felis lacustris ("Lake Cat"), once considered to be a lynx, but now believed to be a puma; F rexroadensis which could be either a lynx or a leopard; F protolyncis ("Early Lynx") and F longignathus, which both resemble Lynx."
"We have a fairly good idea of the size and shape of prehistoric cats and cat-like creatures, but what did they actually look like? Did prehistoric "lions" they have manes and tail tufts? Did the sabre-tooth "tiger" have stripes? Where they sleek or shaggy? Prehistoric cats and cat analogues were shaped by the same forces that shaped modern cats, allowing us to create an image of what they looked like.
Like modern cats, most were ambush hunters, lying in wait for prey or stalking it before making a final dash. This means they needed camouflage. Spots and swirls break up the outline of a predator in undergrowth, while plain sandy or tawny hues blend into drier or barer backgrounds. The cats that hunted on open plains were probably sandy brown or tawny like modern cougars and lions, possibly with faint dappled markings. Others were probably more greyish in colour, like modern northern lynxes. Forest and woodland forms would need leopard-like or jaguar-like markings to blend in with dappled shade, though some may have been black. Although we speak of sabre-tooth "tigers", they would not have been striped unless they lived in habitats similar to those of modern tigers e.g. woodland with twiggy undergrowth or tall reeds . Depending on their habitat, the smaller cats would most likely have been similar to modern Ocelots (swirled), European and African Wildcats (faint mackerel tabby markings) or Leopard cats (spotted).
Those prehistoric big cats that lived in permanently snowy and icy climes would have needed paler coats to blend in with snow or patchy snow. They may have had coats resembling modern snow leopards. Some may have been almost white. They would need longer, denser fur to protect them from the cold, compared to those in warmer climes who would have shorter, sleeker coats Like modern cats, prehistoric cats in temperate zones (with summer and winter periods) would have moulted and grown longer coats for winter and shorter coats for summer. Modern male lions have manes, partly for social display and partly to protect their neck region during fights with competing males. There is some evidence that Smilodon was also social and lived in family groups, so Smilodon males may also have had manes or well-developed ruffs.
Most illustrations and reconstructions of prehistoric cats and cat analogues base their colour schemes on modern cats of comparable sizes living in comparable habitats. The remarkable similarity of cats living in similar habitats in different continents (e.g. lion and puma, jaguar and leopard) makes it reasonable to assume that ancient cats in corresponding habitats also evolved similar markings."
"Although they are often called "big cats" many of the prehistoric species were not true cats, but were cat-like mammals. South America and Australia were both island continents and lacked placental mammals. The "lions" and "tigers" of those continents were lion-like marsupials, more closely related to kangaroos, wombats and their like. They are known as "cat analogues" as they resembled cats and filled the same ecological niche as cats. Another line of prehistoric cats were the Paleofelids ("ancient cats") that developed in parallel with the true cats and from a common ancestor, but which have left no modern descendants. Finally there are the prehistoric true cats, extinct relatives of modern cats. Why would evolution create creatures very similar in form to cats? It's an example of convergent evolution - there are a limited number of solutions to environmental conditions hence animals that aren't closely related often independently evolve similar traits as they both adapt to similar environments and niches. The cat-like form has evolved at least three times: marsupial lions/tigers, Paleofelids and Neofelids. Sabre-toothed cat-like animals evolved separately four times in evolutionary history: Nimravids, Felids, Creodonts and the Thylacosmilids."
"18 million years ago, Schizailurus gave rise to the Felidae. The first of the modern Felids were the early cheetahs; now represented by Acinonyx (modern cheetah); true cheetahs are believed to have evolved around 7 million years ago. Some sources claim Miracinonyx (North American cheetahs) evolved only 4 million years ago from Acinonyx, but recent studies show Miracinonyx was probably ancestral to both cheetahs and puma and was intermediate in type between these two modern species."
"The jaguar-sized Thylacosmilus ("pouched blade") was a large, predatory marsupial; part of a unique group of predators on the South American pampas; the borhyaenids. These appeared in the Miocene and ruled the South American forests and woodlands for some 30 million years, but have no known ancestor or descendant. Thylacosmilus was the most successful member of that family and was the ultimate mammalian predator of its day in Plio-Pleistocene South America, but when the continents of North America and South America joined, it lost out to the more highly developed and faster eutherian cats.
Two species are described: T atrox and T lentis. Thylacosmilus atrox looked like a sabre-toothed cat, but is more closely related to kangaroos. As far as we know, Thylacosmilus was the only marsupial to have developed the sabre-toothed weapon. Like Smilodon, the eutherian sabre-tooth tiger, it had adapted to hunting mega-fauna.
Thylacosmilus lacked incisor teeth, but had very long upper canine teeth that grew continually. These long stabbing teeth projected below the mouth-line. Strong neck and jaw muscles allowed the sabre-teeth to be driven downward with a tremendous killing force. Its huge stabbing teeth were about 15 cm (6 inches) long (longer than those of Smilodon) and may have been used to slash the soft throat of its prey. The jaws were capable of a gape that left the teeth clear to do their work. These sabres grew continually throughout Thylacosmilus's life, much like the incisors of modern rodents. Unlike Smilodon (see later), it had no scabbard-like tooth-guards on its lower jaw though its skull had a deep flange on its lower jaw, forming a protective sheath for when the sabre teeth were not being used.
Unlike modern cats, which tend to be sleek and long-legged, it appears to have been short-legged and heavily built, being about 1.2 metres (4 ft) long and weighing around 100 kilos. Its claws were not retractile. It probably preyed on large, slow-moving mammals and when the two continents joined, the highly specialised Thylacosmilus could not compete against the faster, sleeker eutherian big cats. South America has also had at least three species of cats whose body weights exceeded 300 kilos - about twice the weight of modern lions."
"Panthera leo spelaea, the European Cave Lion (300,000 to 10,000 years ago), was probably the largest cat that ever lived, being around 25% larger than modern lions, and larger than modern Siberian tigers. It was probably comparable in size to modern liger hybrids. It ranged across most of Europe and is depicted in cave paintings. Cave paintings and remains show that it lived until historical times in south-eastern Europe and possibly as recently as 2000 years ago in the Balkans. Cave paintings from Germany show cave lions as having ruffs or manes and tufted tails. A wall engraving from France and an ivory figurine of a lion-pelt-wearing human from Russia indicate faintly striped pelts. European Cave Lions inhabited steppes and parkland regions in the north and semi-desert areas in the south of Eurasia. They were evidently not adapted to deep snow or to dense forests.
Panthera atrox (P leo atrox) was a North American lion whose range extended to northern South America (Peru). P atrox crossed to North America over the Bering Strait land bridge during the last ice age, about 35,000 to 20,000 years ago. Its remains have been found in Alaska and some specimens have been found in the La Brea tar pits, Los Angeles, USA. Relatively few P atrox fossils have been recovered from La Brea compared to fossils of other carnivores; this lion may have been intelligent enough to avoid the natural traps. It probably hunted deer, North American horses (which became extinct and were reintroduced by European settlers) and American bison. They were among the largest flesh-eating land animals that lived during the Ice Age. Compared to modern African lions, they attained enormous size (25% larger) and had relatively long, slender limbs.
Panthera schaubi, currently classified as Puma schaubi, was a short-faced leopard-like cat about the size of a small leopard or large lynx; it is believed to be an Old World puma. Fossil leopards have been found in France and Italy, but in small quantities suggesting they were not prevalent in Europe. Felis lacustris ("Lake Cat"), also appears to be a North American Pliocene puma.
Panthera gombaszoegensis (P onca gombaszoegensis), the European Jaguar, was present around 1.6 million years ago and was larger than early American jaguars, probably hunting larger prey. They ranged across Italy, England, Germany, Spain, and France. Although currently given its own classification, P toscana, the Tuscany Lion (aka Tuscany Jaguar), may turn out to be a synonym for P gombaszoegensis. A form similar to P gombaszoegensis has been found dating from early Pleistocene East Africa and had both lion- and tiger-like characters.
"Pleistocene Tigers" have been found in Alaska, North America and are dated at only 100,000 years ago. There is debate over whether these were tigers or lions since the two species are structurally similar, resulting in some authorities giving the American tigers a separate classification. Pleistocene jaguars (approx 1.5 million years ago) were found as far north as Washington state and Nebraska, USA. Similar in size to modern jaguars they probably had similar lifestyles and pursued similar prey. The modern jaguar's range is South America and Central America, although some individuals have been found as far north as Texas and Florida, USA.
Lynx were known to be present in North America and Eurasia in Pliocene or Pleistocene time. The common ancestor of modern lynx and bobcats was probably a North American lynx of 6.7 million years ago. The extinct Issoire Lynx (Lynx issiodorensis) of 4 million years ago was larger than modern lynx with shorter legs. Modern lynx are smaller, a trend that is true in other species such as cheetah, jaguar, leopard and lion where the prehistoric forms were giants compared to their modern descendents. Their larger size was either an adaptation to colder climes or to cope with larger prey species.
A Pliocene Lynx from Britain was described as Felis (Lynx) brevirostris in 1889. Bobcats are related the Lynx. Earliest records of Bobcats (Lynx rufus, Felis rufus) date back 3.2 to 1.8 million years ago. It is the descendant of an earlier and larger Pleistocene species Lynx issiodorensis. A predominant Pleistocene subspecies of Bobcat was Lynx rufus calcaratus (Irvingtonian Bobcat), which was slightly larger than modern Bobcats. Another Pleistocene subspecies was Lynx rufus koakudsi.
North American Pliocene small cats include: Felis lacustris ("Lake Cat"), once considered to be a lynx, but now believed to be a puma; F rexroadensis which could be either a lynx or a leopard; F protolyncis ("Early Lynx") and F longignathus, which both resemble Lynx."
"We have a fairly good idea of the size and shape of prehistoric cats and cat-like creatures, but what did they actually look like? Did prehistoric "lions" they have manes and tail tufts? Did the sabre-tooth "tiger" have stripes? Where they sleek or shaggy? Prehistoric cats and cat analogues were shaped by the same forces that shaped modern cats, allowing us to create an image of what they looked like.
Like modern cats, most were ambush hunters, lying in wait for prey or stalking it before making a final dash. This means they needed camouflage. Spots and swirls break up the outline of a predator in undergrowth, while plain sandy or tawny hues blend into drier or barer backgrounds. The cats that hunted on open plains were probably sandy brown or tawny like modern cougars and lions, possibly with faint dappled markings. Others were probably more greyish in colour, like modern northern lynxes. Forest and woodland forms would need leopard-like or jaguar-like markings to blend in with dappled shade, though some may have been black. Although we speak of sabre-tooth "tigers", they would not have been striped unless they lived in habitats similar to those of modern tigers e.g. woodland with twiggy undergrowth or tall reeds . Depending on their habitat, the smaller cats would most likely have been similar to modern Ocelots (swirled), European and African Wildcats (faint mackerel tabby markings) or Leopard cats (spotted).
Those prehistoric big cats that lived in permanently snowy and icy climes would have needed paler coats to blend in with snow or patchy snow. They may have had coats resembling modern snow leopards. Some may have been almost white. They would need longer, denser fur to protect them from the cold, compared to those in warmer climes who would have shorter, sleeker coats Like modern cats, prehistoric cats in temperate zones (with summer and winter periods) would have moulted and grown longer coats for winter and shorter coats for summer. Modern male lions have manes, partly for social display and partly to protect their neck region during fights with competing males. There is some evidence that Smilodon was also social and lived in family groups, so Smilodon males may also have had manes or well-developed ruffs.
Most illustrations and reconstructions of prehistoric cats and cat analogues base their colour schemes on modern cats of comparable sizes living in comparable habitats. The remarkable similarity of cats living in similar habitats in different continents (e.g. lion and puma, jaguar and leopard) makes it reasonable to assume that ancient cats in corresponding habitats also evolved similar markings."
