Sivapanthera
Sign in to saveSivapanthera is a prehistoric genus of felid described by Kretzoi in 1929. Species of Sivapanthera are closely related to the modern cheetah but differ from modern cheetahs by having relatively longer brain cases, flatter foreheads, narrower nostrils and larger teeth. In many ways, skulls of Sivapanthera show similarity to those of the puma, or even those of Panthera. Scholars differ on the validity of this genus, while some think that it should be treated as a distinct genus, others think that its members should be treated as members of the Acinonyx genus, or even as subspecies of Acinonyx pa
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Encyclopedic overview
2 sectionsContents
- History of taxonomy
- References
Sivapanthera is a prehistoric genus of felid described by Kretzoi in 1929. Species of Sivapanthera are closely related to the modern cheetah but differ from modern cheetahs by having relatively longer brain cases, flatter foreheads, narrower nostrils and larger teeth. In many ways, skulls of Sivapanthera show similarity to those of the puma, or even those of Panthera. Scholars differ on the validity of this genus, while some think that it should be treated as a distinct genus, others think that its members should be treated as members of the Acinonyx genus, or even as subspecies of Acinonyx pardinensis.
==History of taxonomy== In 1884, Lydekker described two rami from the Pinjor Formation as Felis (?Cynaelurus) brachygnatha. Later, in 1925, Zdansky described Cynailurus pleistocaenicus based on fossils from Shansi, China.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Sivapanthera” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.