Puma pardoides
| Owen's panther | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Skull | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Tribe: | Acinonychini |
| Genus: | Puma |
| Species: | P. pardoides† |
| Binomial name | |
|
Puma pardoides† (Owen, 1846) |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Felis pardoides Owen, 1846 |
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Felis pardoides Owen, 1846
Panthera pardoides (Owen, 1846)
Panthera schaubi Viret, 1954
Viretailurus schaubi (Viret, 1954)
Puma pardoides or Owen's panther is an extinct prehistoric cat. It was long regarded as a primitive species of leopard (genus Panthera). Recent work however has shown that Panthera pardoides and Panthera schaubi are actually the same species, and are probably not pantherine at all, but a member of Felinae related to the cougar, making them more properly classified as Puma pardoides.
Panthera schaubi or Viretailurus schaubi was historically often regarded as a basal member of the genus Panthera. However, recent work has shown that Viretailurus should actually be included in the genus Puma as a junior synonym of Puma pardoides. Fossils of this leopard-sized animal are around 2 million years old and were found in France.
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Wikipedia