Panthera shawi
Panthera shawi is an extinct prehistoric cat, of which a single canine tooth was excavated in Sterkfontein cave in South Africa by Robert Broom in the 1940s. Broom described it in 1948 using the scientific name Felis shawi.[1] It is thought to be the oldest known Panthera species in Africa.[2]
| Panthera shawi Temporal range: Late Pliocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Pantherinae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | †P. shawi |
| Binomial name | |
| †Panthera shawi (Broom, 1948) | |
Description
The canine tooth is about 12 mm (0.47 in) long and considerably larger and thicker at the base than of a modern lion. The tooth crown measures 31 mm × 24 mm (1.22 in × 0.94 in) at the base and is 67.5 mm (2.66 in) long.[1]
References
- Broom, R. (1948). "Some South African Pliocene and Pleistocene mammals" (PDF). Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 21: 1–38.
- Sabol, M. (2011). "Masters of the lost world: a hypothetical look at the temporal and spatial distribution of lion-like felids". Quaternaire. 4: 229–236.
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