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Large Pleistocene Felines of North America by George Gaylord Simpson

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Large Pleistocene Felines of North America by George Gaylord Simpson AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES Published by Number 1136 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY August 11, 1941 New York City LARGE PLEISTOCENE FELINES OF NORTH AMERICA BY GEORGE GAYLORD SIMPSON About thirty occurrences of true cats, ends can be gathered, but on present evi- felines, of the size of pumas or larger have dence it seems possible to establish the been reported in the Pleistocene of North following conclusions: America. Except for the specimens from 1.-Known large Pleistocene felines from the asphalt of Rancho La Brea and of Mc- North America suffice to demonstrate the pres- Kittrick, in California, these are neverthe- ence of three, and only three, groups: pumas, less relatively rare fossils and the specimens jaguars, and P. atrox. 2.-Although scattered from the Atlantic to are usually fragmentary. They have been the Pacific Coasts, the Pleistocene pumas do assigned by various students to about not, in the known parts, show much if any more fifteen different species and their affinities variation than do recent pumas of one subspecies and taxonomy have not been understood. and of more limited geographic distribution. They average a little larger than recent pumas Many have been placed in extinct, or sup- and show minor morphologic distinction of not posedly extinct, species with no definite more than specific value and possibly less. idea as to their relationships to other cats. The definitions of the several supposedly dis- A few have been recognized as pumas, or as tinct groups are not yet satisfactory. 3.-True jaguars specifically inseparable from related to pumas, but on the other hand Panthera onca, the living species, occur widely. some that are pumas beyond much doubt They may (doubtfully) average somewhat have been sharply separated from that larger than the largest living races and may be group. Others have loosely been called tentatively distinguished as P. onca augusta. No local differences within North America are "lions" or "tigers" without clear demon- demonstrated by the known materials. stration of a reason for such explicit terms 4.-Panthera atrox, the so-called American and in spite of the fact that they are re- lion, is not a lion and might be called a giant lated only remotely and not in any exclu- jaguar, clearly distinct specifically from P. onca sive way to those Old World forms. There but nevertheless related to it. has indeed been a general tendency to com- The evidence for these views will be pare our larger fossil felines with those of briefly summarized in this paper. the Eastern Hemisphere and to minimize As acknowledged in more detail else- or omit entirely comparisons with other where,' I am much indebted to Dr. W. J. American cats, in spite of the fact that the Cameron and Mr. W. E. Michael for the latter comparisons would seem more ob- specimens of fossil jaguars from Tennessee vious and are in most cases, perhaps in all, described in this paper. I am also indebted truer indications of affinity. It is particu- to Dr. C. L. Gazin for the opportunity to larly striking that (with one cryptic and study several types and other specimens unexplained partial exception, noted later) in the collection of the U. S. National Mu- no one seems to have reported jaguars in seum, for the loan of an important, unde- the Pleistocene of the United States and scribed specimen collected by J. W. Gidley few have seriously considered this rather in Florida, and for permission to describe obvious possibility. and figure this specimen here. The De- It is the purpose of the present paper to partment of Mammalogy of this Museum make a summary review of these discov- has provided a large number of recent eries and to attempt to establish some specimens for comparison. Dr. Anne Roe order in this confusion. As usual, many problems remain unsolved and not all loose 1 Amer. Muis. Novitates, No. 1131. 2 AMERIAV MVJSEU VYJVITATES [N:. 1136 . Simpson has read the manuscript and The drawings in this paper were made by offered useful suggestions on several points. J. C. Germann. NORTH AMERICAN FOSSIL JAGUARS The certain identification and determina- arrangement is still well visible. The right tion of the affinities of the large cats de- canine had apparently been broken off dur- mand associated dentitions, at least, snce ing life and the stump later much worn by even forms as dissimilar as jaguars and use-this is a common occurrence among pumas are much alike as regards isolated recent jaguars. The left canine had not teeth or many skeletal fragments. It is been broken, unless possibly at the tip, but probable that specimens described as long is also much worn, especially on the pos- ago as 1872 and at intervals since then are, terior side. in fact, jaguars, but only now is it possible This jaw considerably resembles Pan- to prove that these animals did live in thera atrox, indeed it probably has no mor- North America, well outside their present phological characters that do not occur as range, during the Pleistocene. Various variations in that species, which is very American fossils have been compared with jaguar-like in this part and most others. jaguars, as well as with lions, tigers, and It is, however, significantly smaller than other forms in reality more distantly re- any of the fine series of P. atrox jaws now lated, but a positive identification is now known, even if the relatively small "Felis made possible for the first time by three imperialis" be included in P. atrox as Mer- relatively good specimens, Amer. Mus. Nos. riam and Stock suggest and as I also think 32633 and 32635 and U.S. Nat. Mus. No. proper. 11470. In every character, including size and These American Museum specimens were proportions, the fossil jaw closely ap- found in Craighead Caverns, near Sweet- proaches the largest living jaguars. Com- water, Tennessee. An account of their parisons were made especially with a series discovery and peculiar occurrence is being of eight recent specimens of Panthera onca given elsewhere and need not be repeated milleri, which is among the largest, but is here.' Amer. Mus. No. 32633 (Fig. 1) in- not the largest, of recent groups. All cludes the right ramus of the lower jaw, strictly morphological features of the fossil lacking the incisors, which had dropped can be almost exactly matched in this sub- out after death, and the coronoid process species. The fossil jaw is slightly deeper and medial portion of the articular condyle, (not longer), but not significantly more gnawed off by rodents. The symphysial deep in a statistical sense, than in large portion of the left ramus, with the canine males of the recent group. The canine is but without the incisors was also found. unusually stout, but again the difference The symphysis was open and the two sides is slight and not significant. The cheek separated, although they certainly belong teeth are not significantly wider, but are to one individual. Posterior to the ca- significantly longer both absolutely and nine the left ramus had been broken and relatively, although the difference from the the surface is gnawed. There is a slight largest milleri males is not great. They rim of calcareous material near this break comp3rr as follows: and it has been suggested that this repre- sents healing of a jaw fractured during d of Amer. life, but I think it more probably post- Mus. No. mortem and representative of contact with P. onca milleri 32633 from the surface of the dirt, the protruding part (N = 8) milleri having been gnawed away. The cheek Variate Mean a' mean dla' teeth show considerable wear but the cusp LP3 15.19 .99 3.01 3.0 LP4 21.26 .86 3.44 4.0 1 Amer. Mus. Novitates, No. 1131. LMl 21.16 1.25 3.44 2.8 9411 PLEISTOCENE FELINES OF NORTH AMERICA 3 3 Fig. 1. Lower jaws"of fossil and recent jaguars. A.M. No. 32633, Panthera onca augusta, yresumed male, subfossil, 'Craighead Caverns, Tennessee. A.M. No. 120997 (Dept. Mammalogy), Panthera onca milleri, male, recent, Matto Grosso. N. M. 11470, Panthera onca augusta, presumed female, fossil, Melbourne Formation, Melbourne, Florida. A.M. No. 120998 (Dept. Mammalogy), Panthera onca milleri, female, recent, Matto Grosso. All one-third natural size. 4 AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES [No. 1136 I do not have an adequate series of the eluding their palatal processes, and the an- largest living subspecies, P. o. palustris, but terior part of the jugal and a fragment of the lengths of these teeth in the Tennessee the right nasal are also preserved. Near fossil are probably within the range for this and apparently belonging to the same that subspecies, surely so as regards M1 for individual were found the nearly complete which Cabrera (1934) has given ten meas- zygomatic process and a small part of the urements. For this series M = 22.80, a' articular process of the left squamosal and = 1.18, d for the Tennessee specimen = another piece with much of the right ear 1.8, and d/a' = 1.5, far from significant. region, including the inner half of the gle- On the available data I do not, indeed, noid fossa, post-glenoid and post-tympanic find any way to distinguish this fossil from processes, adjacent parts of the squamosal, the large living males of P. o. palustris.1 outer and anterior parts of the tympanic, Amer. Mus. No. 32635 (Fig. 2) was also and the complete petrosal. found in Craighead Caverns and in the Like Amer. Mus. No. 32633, these parts same fissure as the jaw just discussed, al- agree very closely with recent jaguars and though some distance from it and higher in are in all respects near or within the known elevation.
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