Puma incurva
Extinct species of felid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Puma incurva is an extinct species in genus Puma. It was described based on fossils from the Early Pleistocene-aged Swartkrans site in South Africa.[1]
| Puma incurva Temporal range: Early Pleistocene ~ | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Puma |
| Species: | †P. incurva |
| Binomial name | |
| †Puma incurva (Ewer, 1956) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Panthera pardus incurva Ewer, 1956 | |
Taxonomy & evolution
Puma incurva was initially described in 1956 as an extinct subspecies of leopard under the name Panthera pardus incurva.[2] It was generally accepted under that name until a review of the material in 2023 noted that, while certain features of the fossils were unusual for a leopard, they were much more similar to members of the genus Puma, and reassigned the subspecies to that genus as a full genus. It is hypothesized that P. incurva may have been the result of hybridization between Puma and Panthera (such as leopards). Material includes a nearly complete but badly crushed skull.[1]
Description
Puma incurva was a leopard-sized cat. The skull is mostly Puma-like, but the upper carnassial is Panthera-like.[1]