Panthera spelaea vereshchagini. Illustration and photo-reconstruction of the two Eastern Siberian lions, a male and a female, running in the snow cutt
Panthera spelaea vereshchagini. Illustration and photo-reconstruction of the two Eastern Siberian lions, a male and a female, running in the snow cutting in front of a moose. Wild boars are also seen running away from the big cats. Panthera spelaea vereshchagini, also known as the East Siberian or Beringian cave lion, lived in the late Pleistocene in Yakutia, Alaska and the Yukon. The identification of modern and extinct lions is complicated by the presence of common features, although characteristics such as body size or differences skull shape and dental features are used for proposed taxonomic distinction between today's lions (Panthera leo) and Pleistocene lions (Panthera spelaea). The skeletal remains of the Beringian cave lion were found together with fossils of typical Ice Age fauna. The relatively large size of the Beringian cave lion suggests that it may have hunted large prey, including horses, reindeer, musk oxen, and the now-extinct steppe bison.
Size: 6496px × 4329px
Photo credit: © ROMAN UCHYTEL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: age, ancient, animal, artwork, asia, beringian, carnivore, carnivorous, cave, composite, east, extinct, fauna, ice, illustration, leo, lion, mammal, megafauna, palaeontological, palaeontology, palaeozoological, palaeozoology, paleontological, paleontology, paleozoological, paleozoology, panthera, pleistocene, prehistoric, prehistory, siberian, spelaea, vereshchagini, wildlife
