Panthera Leo Atrox
Name	Panthera Leo Atrox
Order	Carnivora
family	Felidae
Class	Mammalia
Name Translation	American Lion
Period	Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene (1 million years ago-4,000 years ago)
Location	North America, Europe, Western Africa, India
Diet	Carnivore
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.

DescriptionEdit

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 1.6–2.5 m (5 ft 3 in–8 ft 2 in) and it would have stood 1.2 metres (4 ft) at the shoulder. Thus it was smaller than its contemporary competitor for prey, the Giant short-faced bear , which was the largest carnivoran of North America at the time. The American lion was not as heavily built as the saber-toothed cat Smilodon Populator, which may have weighed up to 360–470 kilograms (790–1,000 lb). In 2008, Sorkin estimated it to weigh roughly 420 kilograms (930 lb), but new estimations show a top weight of 351 kg (774lbs.) for the largest specimen and an average weight for males of 255.65 kg (563lbs.).

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. The American lion was once believed to be the largest subspecies of lion.

DistributionEdit

This extinct lion was found in throughout North America as well as northern South America. It had sharp retractable claws and sharp teeth (shorter 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.