Acinonyx pardinensis

Acinonyx pardinensis is an extinct felid species belonging to the genus Acinonyx, closely related to the cheetah, native to Eurasia during the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs. It was substantially larger than the living cheetah.

Acinonyx pardinensis
Temporal range:
Skull, Firenze
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Acinonyx
Species:
A. pardinensis
Binomial name
Acinonyx pardinensis
Croizet & Jobert, 1828
Synonyms

Sivapanthera pardinensis

Description

Acinonyx pardinensis was roughly twice the size of today's cheetahs, putting it at around 60–121 kg (132–267 lb),[1][2] The morphology of the skull shows some similiarities with those of pantherine cats and is not as short and deep as that of the modern cheetah.[3][4][5] The teeth greatly resemble that of a modern cheetah.[1] The limb bones, like those of a modern cheetah, were elongate relative to the animal's body size. The lumbar vertebrae were also elongate, suggesting the back was flexible. Compared to living cheetahs, the femur is more straight and the fibia is more robust and not fused to the tibia. The humerus is also more robust.[6]

Distribution and habitat

Fossils, Paris

Acinonyx pardinensis is known from remains spanning from western Europe to China, spanning from the Late Pliocene to the Middle Pleistocene. The true number of species of Acinonyx in the Plio-Pleistocene of Eurasia is unclear, and the Chinese Acinonyx species A. linxiaensis and A. kurteni may be synonyms of Acinonyx pardinensis.[1]

Paleobiology

Restoration

Like the modern cheetah, Acinonyx pardinensis is generally thought to have been adapted to running down prey. It probably took larger prey than living cheetahs, with estimated prey masses of 50–100 kilograms (110–220 lb),[1] though the idea that its ecology was similar to a modern cheetah has been contested by some authors, who suggest a ecology more similar to pantherine cats.[3] Due to its larger body size, it probably did not reach the same speeds as modern cheetah.[6] The morphology of its carnassial teeth suggest like modern cheetahs that it did not consume bone,[6] and probably left large parts of carcasses to other carnivores.[1] While a 2011 study suggested that it killed its prey by suffocation like a modern cheetah,[1] a 2014 study alternatively suggested that Acinonyx pardinensis likely killed prey via a bite to the neck similar to pantherine cats.[3]

See also

References

  1. Hemmer, Helmut; Kahlke, Ralf-Dietrich; Vekua, Abesalom K. (2011). "The cheetah Acinonyx pardinensis (Croizet et Jobert, 1828) s.l. at the hominin site of Dmanisi (Georgia) – A potential prime meat supplier in Early Pleistocene ecosystems". Quaternary Science Reviews. Elsevier. 30 (19–20): 2703–2714. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.05.024 via Science Direct.
  2. Anne Schmidt-Kuentzel, Laurie Marker, Lorraine K. Boast (2017). Cheetahs: Biology and Conservation. Elsevier Science. p. 30. ISBN 9780128041208. Retrieved 4 September 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Cherin, Marco; Iurino, Dawid Adam; Sardella, Raffaele; Rook, Lorenzo (March 2014). "Acinonyx pardinensis (Carnivora, Felidae) from the Early Pleistocene of Pantalla (Italy): predatory behavior and ecological role of the giant Plio–Pleistocene cheetah". Quaternary Science Reviews. 87: 82–97. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.01.004.
  4. Geraads, Denis (January 2014). "How old is the cheetah skull shape? The case of Acinonyx pardinensis (Mammalia, Felidae)". Geobios. 47 (1–2): 39–44. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2013.12.003.
  5. Cherin, Marco; Iurino, Dawid A.; Zanatta, Marco; Fernandez, Vincent; Paciaroni, Alessandro; Petrillo, Caterina; Rettori, Roberto; Sardella, Raffaele (2018-05-29). "Synchrotron radiation reveals the identity of the large felid from Monte Argentario (Early Pleistocene, Italy)". Scientific Reports. 8 (1). doi:10.1038/s41598-018-26698-6. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5974229. PMID 29844540.
  6. Anton, Mauricio (2016-12-16). "Sprint of the giant cheetah". chasing sabretooths. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
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