Panthera (name meaning "Cruel Lion"), also known as the American Lion, is a genus of pantherine cat that originated during the Early Pleistocene epoch in what is now North America. Measuring over 3 meters long, weighing around 340 kilos, and one of the apex predators of its time, this is one of the largest species of cat to exist.
In the Series 3 finale "Mammoth's Undertaking Journey", a pride of American lions were brought to the park from Pleistocene America 11,000 year ago. They reside in an enclosure near their African relatives.
Facts[]
Era & Discovery[]
The American Lion lived in North America during the Late Pleistocene 1 million to 10,000 years ago where it lived alongside other animals such as Smilodon, Arctodus, Arctotherium, Dire Wolf, Megalonyx, Glyptotherium, the American Mastodon, and even the mighty Woolly and Columbian Mammoths. They were among the top predators during the Ice Age and one of the largest cats to live.
The American Lion was first discovered at Natchez, Mississippi in 1836 by William Henry Huntington Esquire who collected the first fossils.
Physical Attributes[]
Standing 5.24 ft. tall and weighing up to 340 kilograms, the American Lion was one of the biggest cats to have ever lived. It was larger than the Siberian Tiger and ⅓ bigger than the modern African Lion. The American Lion had one of the largest brains of any cat live or extinct which suggests that they were social like modern lions able to hunt together as a pride. The ability to hunt together meant they could take down almost any prey that lived in their environment making them one of the Ice Age's apex predators.
Behavior & Traits[]
Like the African Lion, the American Lion lived together as a pride led by a male. The females did 90% of the hunting much like modern lions.
Journal Entry[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The American lion is one of the second largest prehistoric feline brought to the park.