''Acinonyx pleistocaenicus'' is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

felid Felidae ( ) is the Family (biology), family of mammals in the Order (biology), order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid ( ). The 41 extant taxon, extant Felidae species exhibit the gre ...

species belonging to the genus ''

Acinonyx ''Acinonyx'' is a genus within the Felidae family. The only living species of the genus, the cheetah (''A. jubatus''), lives in open grasslands of Africa and Asia. Several fossil remains of cheetah-like cats were excavated that date to the lat ...

'', native to

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

from the

Early Pleistocene The Early Pleistocene is an unofficial epoch (geology), sub-epoch in the international geologic timescale in chronostratigraphy, representing the earliest division of the Pleistocene Epoch within the ongoing Quaternary Period. It is currently esti ...

Middle Pleistocene The Chibanian, more widely known as the Middle Pleistocene (its previous informal name), is an Age (geology), age in the international geologic timescale or a Stage (stratigraphy), stage in chronostratigraphy, being a division of the Pleistocen ...

, from 1.3 to 0.6 million years ago. This species was larger than ''

Acinonyx pardinensis ''Acinonyx pardinensis'', sometimes called the giant cheetah, is an extinct felid species belonging to the genus ''Acinonyx'', closely related to the cheetah, native to Eurasia from Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene epoch, from 2.8 to 1.4 ma. ...

''.

Taxonomy

Classification

Originally described as ''Cynailurus pleistocaenicus'', several studies have since considered ''Acinonyx pleistocaenicus'' as a subspecies of ''

''. However, Jiangzuo et al. (2024) suggested that its cranial and dental anatomy have more distinguishing features and resemble more of modern

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large Felidae, cat and the Fastest animals, fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, wit ...

s based on new specimens, classifying ''A. pleistocaenicus'' and ''A. pardinensis'' as separate species.

Evolution

''Acinonyx pleistocaenicus'' may have evolved from ''A. pardinensis'' in Eurasia during the Early Pleistocene. During the Middle Pleistocene, ''A. pleistocaenicus'' was replaced by ''

Acinonyx intermedius ''Acinonyx intermedius'' is a fossil species of felid belonging to the cheetah genus ''Acinonyx.'' It has been found in Olduvai, Tanzania and in cave sites in South Africa. It was described by paleontologist Thenius in 1954. It is sometimes cons ...

''. In spite of its similarity to ''A. intermedius'' and modern cheetah, ''A. pleistocaenicus'' is probably not a direct ancestor to either species.

Description

''Acinonyx pleistocaenicus'' was among the largest known species within the ''Acinonyx'' genus. Within Untermassfeld, males and females weighing and respectively, based on postcranial bones. Individuals within

Zhoukoudian Zhoukoudian Area () is a town and an area located on the east Fangshan District, Beijing, China. It borders Nanjiao and Fozizhuang Townships to its north, Xiangyang, Chengguan and Yingfeng Subdistricts to its east, Shilou and Hangcunhe Towns to ...

were even larger and were the largest members of the species, with males and females respectively weighing and . Considering the specimens found in Zhoukoudian was the youngest known record of the species, it is suggested that the species increased in size over time, at least during the early Middle Pleistocene in East Asia. Despite its larger size, postcranial bones suggests its body was similar to modern

cheetahs The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat and the fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, with a short snout and blac ...

Paleobiology and Paleoecology

Within the upper deposits of Jinyuan Cave, ''Acinonyx pleistocaenius'' coexisted with Carnivorans such as ''Xenocyon'' ''lycaonoides'', '' Ursus'', '' Pachycrocuta brevirostris sinensis'', ''

Megantereon ''Megantereon'' is an extinct genus of prehistoric machairodontine saber-toothed cat that lived in Eurasia, Africa and possibly North America from the late Pliocene to the Middle Pleistocene. It is a member of the tribe Smilodontini, and close ...

'', and '' Panthera gombaszogensis jinpuensis''. In Zhoukoudian, carnivorans present were '' Ursus arctos'', ''Pachycrocuta brevirostris sinensis'', ''

Homotherium latidens ''Homotherium'' is an extinct genus of Homotherini, scimitar-toothed cat belonging to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae that inhabited North America, Eurasia, and Africa, as well as possibly South America during the Pliocene and Pleistocene ...

'', and

tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is tradition ...

. It was one of the largest carnivores within its fauna and unlike modern cheetahs, would’ve been able to defend their kills due to its large body size and robust canines. Ideal prey for this species would’ve weighed , such as ''

Cervus ''Cervus'' is a genus of deer that primarily are native to Eurasia, although one species occurs in northern Africa and another in North America. In addition to the species presently placed in this genus, it has included a whole range of other s ...

'', ''

Sinomegaceros ''Sinomegaceros'' is an extinct genus of deer known from the Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene of Central and East Asia. It is considered to be part of the group of "giant deer" (often referred to collectively as members of the ...

'', and '' Equus''. The ectotympanic chamber wasn’t enlarge as modern cheetahs, suggesting it wasn’t as adapted for open environments.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q126372014 pleistocaenicus Prehistoric felines Fossil taxa described in 1925