Puma pardoides
- Saint- Vallier (Drôme ) (France )
- Cueva Victoria (Spain )
- Untermaßfeld ( Germany )
- Shamar and Beregovaya (Mongolia)
Puma pardoides is an extinct species of the cat family ( Felidae ) that occurred in the early Pleistocene in Eurasia.
Puma pardoides was first described in 1846 under the name Felis pardoides in England. It was recently recognized that they schaubi with the way Viretailurus (originally Panthera schaubi ) should be identical and actually in the genus cougars ( Puma) is to be classified. Puma pardoides is demonstrated from the beginning to the end of the early Pleistocene, 2100000-800000 years ago in Europe, Georgia and Central Asia (Mongolia). In Germany, the species occurred about one million years ago, fossil remains were found in Untermaßfeld. In contrast, Pumas are detected earlier than 400,000 years ago in America. It is believed, therefore, that the genus Puma of Eurasia Coming populated America, where today's Puma still lives.
Puma pardoides was similar, partly slightly larger than today's Puma. The specimen from Untermaßfeld is estimated to be 40-45 kg, male from the earliest Pleistocene of Europe are likely to have brought even 60-100 kg on the scales. Typical prey probably included small and medium-sized ungulates, such as deer Cervus nestii, roe deer (Capreolus ) and wild boar (Sus scrofa). The calves of larger species of deer, as Eucladoceros come as a possible prey in question. At the same time several other big cats occurred in Europe, where the European Puma was certainly inferior. Among them were the European Jaguar and the large saber-toothed cats and Megantereon Homotherium.