15 Species of Large Felines (Most Extinct)
In the Old Beast Club, here's a great find, feel free to take it. (Deleted) Information from Baidu Encyclopedia
15. Giant Cheetah
Giant Cheetah fossils are commonly found across Eurasia, particularly in China, France, India, etc. It is a close relative of the modern cheetah. The Giant Cheetah's lifestyle and physical characteristics may be similar to that of a cheetah, with the only difference being that the Giant Cheetah has the size of a lion.
14. Panthera gombaszoegensis
Panthera gombaszoegensis, which lived 1.5 million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch, is the earliest feline genus in Europe. Its fossils were first discovered in Italy and classified as the Tuscan Mountain Lion. Later, its fossil specimens were found in England, Germany, Spain, France, and the Netherlands. It is sometimes considered a subspecies of the American Cheetah.
13. Saber-Toothed Tiger
12. Similar Saber-Toothed Tiger
11. Hardshell Saber-Toothed Tiger
10. Lion
9. Tiger
8. Giant Megalodon
Giant Megalodon (Amphimachairodus giganteus) had the widest distribution. They existed across Eurasia 800-600 thousand years ago, hunting large prey such as three-toed horses, rhinoceroses, and long-necked dinosaurs with their sharp, serrated teeth. They pierced the throats of these large prey.
7. Fatal Blade Saber-Toothed Tiger
Living in the Pleistocene in North America, its name comes from the saber-like teeth resembling a cavalry knife, which exceeded 12 cm in length, and the angle of jaw opening exceeded 90 degrees. Although the Fatal Blade Saber-Toothed Tiger’s individual size was close to that of a lion—an average length of 2 meters and shoulder height of 1-1.2 meters, past studies believed its weight could reach 1.5 to 2 times that of a normal male lion, which is 270-360 kg. In fact, according to the latest research, its normal weight is between 170kg and 280kg, which is not heavier than lions or tigers.
6. Cave Lion
Also known as the Cave Lion, it was larger and more robust than modern lions, with thick limbs and an average length of 2.7 meters with a tail length of 1.2 meters and a weight of 250 kg. The largest male Cave Lion was 3.8 meters long with a shoulder height of 1.4 meters, surpassing the Northeast Tiger and various extinct saber-toothed tiger species, and was the largest feline species ever made ('manufactured' by humans), excluding the Lion-Tiger hybrid. During the period from 300 to 100 thousand years ago, the Cave Lion’s footprints spread across the northern and central grasslands and deserts of Eurasia. Recent research shows that the Cave Lion is not an ancestor of lions, but is closely related to them. The Cave Lion was recorded to have gone extinct 100 thousand years ago with the disappearance of the last Ice Age, primarily due to conflict with humans over cave dwellings, which were extensively hunted, and secondly, the extinction of its main food source, the European wild horse, leading to the Cave Lion's extinction along with it.
5. Wanxian Tiger
It was scientifically reconstructed based on fossil discoveries from the Salt Well Ridge, Plain Slot, Wanxian County, Sichuan Province (now Chongqing Wanju District), and named after Wanxian Tiger.
4. Giant Short Saber-Toothed Tiger
3. Kabir Saber-Toothed Tiger
This saber-toothed tiger existed for about 100 thousand years, once widespread in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. You can see from their fossils that they are highly evolved. Their bones are more adapted to the climate, and the subsequent Similar Saber-Toothed Tigers evolved from them.
2. Destroyer Blade Saber-Toothed Tiger
One of the large feline predators from the Ice Age, alongside the Lion and Cave Lion, and is ranked as one of the three largest feline predators ever, with a blade length of up to 18-20 cm and a jaw opening angle exceeding 90 degrees. The largest ‘Destroyer Blade Saber-Toothed Tiger’ individual could reach a shoulder height of 1.65 meters, which is a true king of the food chain.
1. Cruel Lion
The Cruel Lion, also known as the American Lion, is one of the largest feline species in history. The Cruel Lion roamed North America during the Ice Age (about 2 million years ago), widely distributed in northern Alaska and the vast plains of Canada’s Yukon Territory, and extended south to the Peruvian Andes Mountains. The Cruel Lion typically stood 1.2 meters tall, and its longest body could reach 4.5 meters, and its weight exceeded 400 kg.
