|Panthera leo atrox|
|Name||Panthera leo atrox|
|Name Translation||American Lion|
|Period||Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene (1 million years ago-4,000 years ago)|
|Location||North America, South America|
|Length||11 feet (6 inches, 3.5 metres long), 5 feet (1.5 metres) tall|
The American lion (Panthera leo atrox) — also known as the North American lion or American cave lion — is an extinct feline of the family Felidae, endemic to North America during the Pleistocene epoch (1.8 mya to 11,000 years ago), existing for approximately 1.79 million years. While it was once considered a subspecies of lion closely related to the Eurasian cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea), later study showed that it was not in fact a true lion and cannot be assigned to any modern species of cat. The American lion was one of the largest types of cat ever to have existed, slightly larger than the Early Middle Pleistocene primitive cave lion, P. Leo Fossilis and about twenty-five percent larger than the modern African lion.
DescriptionThe American lion is an extinct animal which originated in North America and went on to colonize part of South America as part of the Great American Interchange. The head-body length of the American lion is estimated to have been 2.6–3.5 m (8.530184-11.48294 ft) and he/she would have stood 1.524 metres (5 ft) at the shoulder. Thus he/she was smaller than its contemporary competitor for prey, the Giant short-faced bear , which was the largest carnivoran of North America at the time. In 2008, Sorkin estimated him/her to weigh roughly 420 kilograms (930 lb), but new estimations show a top weight of 352 kg (776.027lbs.) for the largest specimen. Approximately one hundred specimens of American lions have been recovered from the La Brea Tar Pits, in Los Angeles, so their body structure is well known. The features and teeth of the extinct American lion strongly resemble modern lions, but they were considerably larger. Allthough like all other cave lions it was not a true lion.
This extinct lion was found in throughout North America as well as northern South America. He/she had 5 razor-sharp retractable claws and sharp teeth (larger than those of other extinct cats). The most well known fossils found were out of the Rancho La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, although some were also found in Alaska. Other subspecies of the American leo can be found today in parts of Africa and in western India.
The American lion appeared in Jurassic Fight Club called the Mega Lion and was killed by a short face bear.