First occurrence of Panthera atrox (Felidae, Pantherinae) in the Mexican state of Hidalgo and a review of the record of felids from the Pleistocene of Mexico (original) (raw)
Related papers
Fossil Record, 2016
Panthera atrox was a common large-sized cat in North America during the late Pleistocene. An isolated lower canine and a fifth metacarpal bone referable to this species were recovered from fluvial Quaternary deposits that outcrop in southeastern Hidalgo, central Mexico. Associated fossil material belonging to Bison indicates a Rancholabrean North American Land Mammal Age; the age assignment is corroborated by the presence of P. atrox. A comparative study with selected specimens of Panthera and Smilodon indicates that the Hidalgoan sample shares the following diagnostic features with P. atrox: a large, robust, and non-strongly curved lower canine; a large and relatively slender fifth metacarpal with a well-developed projection on the palmar side at the proximal end, narrow articulating surface for the unciform; a narrow notch on the articulating surface for the fourth metacarpal; and a diaphysis that at the middle is oval in cross section. The record supplements the evidence of P. atrox in central Mexico and represents the first reported occurrence of this cat species in the state of Hidalgo. By the same token, the known geographic distribution of P. atrox in the Mexican territory suggests that it was relatively common in temperate areas of central Mexico between 19 and 24 • N at an altitudinal range from 1500 to 2250 m a.s.l. The large size (mean body mass of 300 kg) and hypercarnivorous adaptations of the American lion suggest it was the top predator of the mammalian community recorded at southeastern Hidalgo, displacing other members of the carnivore guild at the mesopredator level, such as the dire wolf (Canis dirus), which has been also reported in the area. The high diversity of large herbivores recorded at southeastern Hidalgo, which in turn could represent potential prey of P. atrox, suggests that some areas that now are part of central Mexico were suitable hunting sites for this large-sized cat. A review of the Pleistocene record of Felidae from Mexico revealed that it encompasses 87.5 and 73.3 % of generic and specific diversity known for North America, respectively, including seven genera (Felis, Miracinonyx, Panthera, Puma, Lynx, Leopardus, and Smilodon) and 11 species (Felis rexroadensis, Miracinonyx inexpectatus, Panthera atrox, Panthera onca, Puma concolor, Puma yagouaroundi, Lynx rufus, Leopardus pardalis, Leopardus wiedii, Smilodon fatalis, and Smilodon gracilis). The majority of these taxa have been reported from numerous late Pleistocene localities; in particular, Panthera atrox was relatively common and widely distributed across the Mexican territory.
Panthera leo atrox (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Chiapas, Mexico
The Southwestern …, 2009
A well-preserved right lower jaw with complete P3-M1 and an isolated canine of a large felid was found in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico. It is identified as the American lion Panthera leo atrox. Its presence in Chiapas documents its southernmost distribution in North America. Una mandíbula derecha bien conservada de un gran félido con P3-M1 y un canino aislado fueron encontrados en el estado sureño de Chiapas, México. Fue identificado como león americano Panthera leo atrox. Su presencia en Chiapas documenta la distribución más al sur del continente americano.
Data Revues 00166995 00390005 06000519, 2008
In this paper the systematic position and age of several Pleistocene cat remains found in southern South American are studied, in an attempt to more fully document the scarce record of the group and clear up their obscure Quaternary history. The fossils are compared with a large sample of recent specimens by means of qualitative and quantitative characters, as well as multivariate methods (discriminant analysis). The age of previous records is restricted using recent chronostratigraphic and biostratigraphic studies. Ly. colocolo is recorded in the late Ensenadan (0.78-0.5 Ma BP) and Bonaerian/Lujanian (0.5 Ma-8.5 Ka BP) ages of the Pampean Region (Argentina) and in the late Pleistocene or Holocene of Tierra del Fuego (Chile). An incomplete hemimandible found in the Bonaerian of the Pampean Region is referred to cf. Herpailurus and could be the earliest record of this lineage. Two other remains could belong to On. geoffroyi, but their incompleteness and some differences prevent their assignation to this recent species. The age of "Felis" vorohuensis is restricted to the late Ensenadan. The fossil record of the Ocelot Lineage is very fragmentary, but it is at least as old as late Ensenadan. Taphonomic biases are responsible for this poor fossil record and this fact could partially explain the hiatus with respect to the timing estimated by molecular divergence. The combination of data suggests that Ly. colocolo, On. guigna, On. geoffroyi and Oreailurus jacobita speciated in South America, supporting previous opinions. If the molecular divergence dates are right the recent diversity of this group could be explained by a minimum of five to six immigrations.
FIRST RECORD OF JAGUAR (PANTHERA ONCA) FROM THE STATE OF HIDALGO, MÉXICO
We documented the first record of jaguar (Panthera onca) in the state of Hidalgo, México. With this record, the gap in the distribution of jaguar between San Luis Potosí and northwestern Puebla is reduced. In July 2013, we found 2 tracks on a trail in a pine-oak forest, and in October, we photographed a jaguar in an oak forest. Both sites are located within the Parque Nacional Los Mármoles in Sierra Gorda of Hidalgo. These records represent the first evidence of the presence of jaguar in Hidalgo, which is among the few states where all 6 species of felids that inhabit México occur.
Revista Brasileira De Paleontologia, 2004
Nos últimos 25 anos ocorreram inúmeras descobertas de mamíferos neoterciários na região central do México, sendo que muitas vêm das bacias localizadas na Faixa Vulcânica Transmexicana. Em contraste com a maioria dos registros anteriores, estes achados têm sido cuidadosamente inseridos num contexto estratigráfico. Datações radiométricas em camadas de cinzas vulcânicas, juntamente com estudos paleomagnéticos, permitem o posicionamento do limite das Idades Mamíferos Terrestres da Ámerica do Norte Hemphillian -Blancan em 4,8 Ma. As pesquisas sobre os mamíferos neoterciários da região central do México também têm fornecido valiosas informações sobre novos táxons, ampliação da distribuição geográfica de muitos animais e mudanças ambientais na região. Vários mamíferos que imigraram da Ámerica do Sul durante o Neoterciário são também agora conhecidos na região central do México, adicionando novas e importantes informações concernentes à formação da ponte terrestre do Panamá e do Grande Intercâmbio Biótico Americano. Táxons como as preguiças Megalonyx e Glossotherium, os Cingulata Glyptotherium e Plaina e o roedor Neochoerus proveram dados relevantes a este evento. É geralmente aceito que a ponte terrestre do Panamá formou-se entre 2,5 e 3 milhões de anos atrás. Entretanto, as idades radiométricas e paleomagnéticas obtidas na região central do México associadas às informações aportadas pelos mamíferos imigrantes sul-americanos, indicam que esta ponte terrestre poderia ter-se originado mais de um milhão de anos antes. Por outro lado, o movimento tectônico, as mudanças de caráter insular e o vulcanismo na América Central durante o Neoterciário, com conseqüências eustáticas e na composição vegetal, tornam muito difícil a determinação cronológica precisa tanto da formação da ponte terrestre quanto do intercâmbio biótico resultante. Palavras-chave: Hemphillian, Blancan, Faixa Vulcânica Transmexicana, Grande Intercâmbio Biótico Americano.
Historical Biology, 2018
Here we describe a new species of a Pleistocene felid based on the distal third of a right humerus from the submerged El Pit cenote (sinkhole) near Tulum in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The new taxon, Panthera balamoides sp. nov., is characterized by a large entepicondylar foramen, a gracile and straight humeral shaft with a prominent supracondylar ridge with a small depression on the lateral epicondyle and a distal articular surface located medially with respect to the long axis of the shaft. Two felid clavicles from the same locality have been assigned to Panthera atrox, while a humerus fragment from the Kim Ha cave near Tulum likely corresponds to Smilodon gracilis. Panthera balamoides lines up with other likely endemic mammals in the region, which suggest that at least northern Quintana Roo, if not the entire Yucatán peninsula, may have been ecologically isolated during the Pleistocene, due to the repeated expansion of grassland.
The large jaguar that lived in the past of México: a forgotten fossil
Therya, 2020
a fossil jaw recovered from the Chapala region, Jalisco, that he identified as Panthera onca. The collection label indicates doubts about this taxonomic assignment; an issue that remains unsolved. The aim of this work is to study the taxonomy and biogeographic implications of this material. With this aim, morphological and morphometric comparisons were made using fossil and current feline specimens. Additionally, a review of the fossil record of P. onca in Mexico was carried out using the material deposited in collections and reported in the literature. Our results indicate that the jaw from Jalisco belongs to a large Pleistocene form of jaguar historically called P. onca augusta. With the present record, there is a total of 10 paleontological localities in México where fossil jaguar records have been reported. Curiously, only one of these locations matches with the current distribution of this feline in North America, the San Josecito Cave in Nuevo León. With this information, there is evidence to confirm that the range distribution of the jaguar has been reduced significantly since the Pleistocene to the present.
A perspective on mammal biodiversity and zoogeography in the Late Pleistocene of México
Quaternary International, 2010
Analysis of the overall fossil record for specific regions in order to examine paleobiological data requires assembling enormous amounts of information in databases. Geoinformatics involves the management and analysis of such databases. A case in point is the Quaternary Mexican mammal database, currently composed of more than 15,000 records for 12 orders, 43 families, 146 genera, and 274 species. Of those, 197 of 481 mammal species found in Mé xico today are recorded. Comparison of past and current zoogeographic ranges discloses different patterns. Many species expanded their distribution to different latitudes or higher/lower altitudes or moved further north/south during the Pleistocene. Both temperate and tropical mammal species tend to move in similar patterns. The current distribution of several groups of mammal species can be explained in part as an effect of Pleistocene glaciations. The particular dynamic mechanism remains largely unknown due to lack of detailed data. Biases in the Quaternary Mexican mammal database need to be considered in assessing the resulting patterns. Future studies undertaken to explain Mé xico's high mammalian Quaternary diversity should include testing various biogeographic models against an improved database.