A prehistoric panther would be the ancestor of big cats such as tigers and lions, according to the most recent findings of researchers. Scientists have found in Tibet, in the Himalayas, the fossil skull of the oldest big cat, the precursor of the tigers, lions, leopards and cheetahs we know today.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
It would be one prehistoric panther theancestor of big cats like tigers e leoni, according to the researchers' latest findings. Scientists have found in Tibet, in the Himalayas, the fossil skull of the oldest big feline, the forerunner of the tigers, lions, leopards and cheetahs we know today.
This is a fundamental discovery from the point of view ofevolution. Until this time it was believed that the big cats we know today had developed in Africa, but the oldest fossil remains now date back to theAsia. The remains found date back in time the history of the big cats of at least 2 million years ago.
The tigers and lions, therefore, would see Asia, and not Africa, as their homeland. The species now found has been identified with the scientific name of Panthera blytheae. The animal would have lived in Asia, in the cold regions of the Himalayas, from 4 to 6 millions of years ago. Second as stated by experts, its size would have been smaller than the current one Snow leopard. By observing the skull and teeth, scientists hypothesized that the feline hunted just like the modern snow leopard, especially as regards theuse of teeth front and rear.
The oldest fossil found so far for big cats was dated to 3,6 million years ago and was found in Tanzania. The finding could confirm the hypothesis that the geographical origin of panthers and their peers is to be placed in India or more generally in Asia, despite the oldest artifacts found before the last discovery were in Africa. The fossil has been described in detail inside thearticle “Himalayan fossils of the oldest known pantherine establish ancient origin of big cats” pubblicato sulla rivista Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences.
Marta Albè
