Panthera principialis

Short description: Extinct species of carnivore

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Panthera principialis

Temporal range: Pliocene
~3.7 Ma

PreЄ

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Mammalia
Order:  | Carnivora
Suborder:  | Feliformia
Family:  | Felidae
Subfamily:  | Pantherinae
Genus:  | Panthera
Species:  |

†P. principialis

Binomial name
†Panthera principialis

Hemmer, 2023

Panthera principialis is an extinct species in the big cat genus Panthera that was described in 2023 based on fragmentary Pliocene-aged fossils from Laetoli, Tanzania. As the species was the oldest known Panthera species at the time, it was given the specific epithet "principialis", from the Latin word meaning "initial, original, in the beginning".[1]

## Taxonomy & evolution

The fossils on which P. principialis was based had previously been assigned to the species Panthera leo, Panthera gombaszogensis, and Panthera palaeosinensis.[1]

## Description

Panthera principialis was a lion-sized cat.[1]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hemmer, Helmut (2023-06-01). "The identity of the "lion", Panthera principialis sp. nov., from the Pliocene Tanzanian site of Laetoli and its significance for molecular dating the pantherine phylogeny, with remarks on Panthera shawi (Broom, 1948), and a revision of Puma incurva (Ewer, 1956), the Early Pleistocene Swartkrans "leopard" (Carnivora, Felidae)" (in en). Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments 103 (2): 465–487. doi:10.1007/s12549-022-00542-2. ISSN 1867-1608. Bibcode: 2023PdPe..103..465H. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-022-00542-2.

Wikidata ☰ Q118612732 entry

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