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''Acinonyx pardinensis'', sometimes called the giant cheetah, is an
''Acinonyx pardinensis'' is known from remains spanning from western Europe to China, spanning from the
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 , though the idea that its ecology was similar to a modern cheetah has been contested by some authors, who suggest an ecology more similar to pantherine cats. Due to its larger body size, it probably did not reach the same speeds as modern cheetah. The morphology of its carnassial teeth suggest like modern cheetahs that it did not consume bone, and probably left large parts of carcasses to other carnivores. While a 2011 study suggested that it killed its prey by suffocation like a modern cheetah, a 2014 study alternatively suggested that ''Acinonyx pardinensis'' likely killed prey via a bite to the neck similar to pantherine cats.
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
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
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 ...
'', closely related to the 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 ...
, native to Eurasia from Late Pliocene
Late or LATE may refer to:
Everyday usage
* Tardy, or late, not being on time
* Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead
Music
* Late (The 77s album), ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000
* Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993
* Late!, a pseudo ...
to 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 ...
epoch, from 2.8 to 1.4 ma. It was substantially larger than the living cheetah.
Description
''Acinonyx pardinensis'' was roughly twice the size of today's cheetahs, weighing around , though '' A. pleistocaenicus'' was much larger. The morphology of the skull shows some similarities with those of pantherine cats and is not as short and deep as that of the modern cheetah. The teeth greatly resemble that of a modern cheetah. 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 morerobust
Robustness is the property of being strong and healthy in constitution. When it is transposed into a system, it refers to the ability of tolerating perturbations that might affect the system's functional body. In the same line ''robustness'' can ...
and not fused to the tibia. The humerus is also more robust.
Classification
''Acinonyx pardinensis'' is sometimes considered a macrospecies containing ''Acinonyx aicha
''Acinonyx aicha'' is an extinct felid species belonging to the genus ''Acinonyx''. It was first described in 1997 based on fossils from the Pliocene of Morocco.
Discovery and naming
''Acinonyx aicha'' was discovered in the Ahl al Oughlam s ...
'', ''Acinonyx arvernensis
''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 ...
'', ''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 ...
'', ''Acinonyx pleistocaenicus
''Acinonyx pleistocaenicus'' is an extinct felid species belonging to the genus ''Acinonyx'', native to Eurasia from the Early Pleistocene to Middle Pleistocene, from 1.3 to 0.6 million years ago. This species was larger than ''Acinonyx pardinens ...
'', and '' Sivapanthera linxiaensis'' as subspecies.
Distribution and habitat
''Acinonyx pardinensis'' is known from remains spanning from western Europe to China, spanning from the Late Pliocene
Late or LATE may refer to:
Everyday usage
* Tardy, or late, not being on time
* Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead
Music
* Late (The 77s album), ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000
* Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993
* Late!, a pseudo ...
to the 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 ...
. The true number of species of ''Acinonyx'' in the Plio-Pleistocene of Eurasia is unclear.
Paleobiology
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 , though the idea that its ecology was similar to a modern cheetah has been contested by some authors, who suggest an ecology more similar to pantherine cats. Due to its larger body size, it probably did not reach the same speeds as modern cheetah. The morphology of its carnassial teeth suggest like modern cheetahs that it did not consume bone, and probably left large parts of carcasses to other carnivores. While a 2011 study suggested that it killed its prey by suffocation like a modern cheetah, a 2014 study alternatively suggested that ''Acinonyx pardinensis'' likely killed prey via a bite to the neck similar to pantherine cats.
See also
* ''Miracinonyx
''Miracinonyx'' (colloquially known as the "American cheetah" or the "New World cheetah") is an extinct genus of felids belonging to the subfamily Felinae that was endemic to North America from the Pleistocene epoch (about 2.5 million to 16,000 y ...
''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2272925 pardinensis Extinct animals of Asia Mammals described in 1828 Prehistoric felines Pleistocene mammals of Asia Fossil taxa described in 1828