The big cats and their fossil relatives: an illustrated guide to their evolution and natural history

273 Pages·1997·17.29 MB·English

by  Alan Turner

Al Gor
Al Gor
Al Gor

THE BIG CATS
AND THEIR FOSSIL RELATIVES
An Illustrated Guide to Their Evolution and Natural History

Illustrations by
MAURICIO ANTON

Text by
ALAN TURNER

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York
Al Gor

Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
Copyright © 1997 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Turner, Alan, 1947-
The big cats and their fossil relatives: an illustrated guide to their evolution
and natural history / text by Alan Turner ; illustrations by Mauricio Anton.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 221) and index.
ISBN 978-0-231-10228-5 (cloth) — ISBN 978-0-231-10229-2 (pbk.)
l.Felidae. 2. Felidae, Fossil. 3. Felidae—Evolution. 4. Felidae—Pictorial
works. 5. Felidae, Fossil—Pictorial works. I. Anton, Mauricio. II. Title.
QL737.C23T83 1996
599.74428—dc20 96-3969

Casebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on
permanent and durable acid-free paper.
Printed in U.S.A.
с 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

Frontispiece: A group portrait of living large cats

All living large cats can be distinguished at first sight, although their skeletons differ less from each other
than they do from any of the specialized felid saber-tooths. The jaguar (bottom, center) differs from the
leopard in its stockier build and in the pattern of larger, closed rosettes on its coat. The clouded leopard
(resting on the branch) and the snow leopard (below it) both have unmistakable coats that differ from that of
the true leopard. The male lion (center) has a unique appearance, but even the maneless females can be
distinguished from a puma (center, on trunk) by their large, squarish heads on high shoulders, their long
legs, and their blаск-tufted tails.
Al Gor

For our families
and in memory of Bjorn Kurten
Al Gor
Al Gor

CONTENTS

Foreword by F. Clark Howell ix Preface xiii Acknowledgments xvii

1
CHAPTER CATS: THEIR PLACE IN NATURE • 1
2
CHAPTER EVOLUTION AND THE ORIGIN OF THE FELIDAE • 15
3
CHAPTER INDIVIDUAL SPECIES • 39
4
CHAPTER ANATOMY AND ACTION • 93
5
CHAPTER BEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY: HUNTING AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY • 151
6
CHAPTER THE CHANGING FAUNA • 189

Epilogue 219 Further Reading 221 Index 229
Al Gor

FOREWORD

O
NLY SEVEN EXTANT LARGE-BODIED CATS SURVIVE FROM THE
important and remarkably diverse radiations of felid carnivores since mid-
Tertiary times, some 25 million years (Ma) ago. Fortunately these surviving
felines are quite readily distinguished morphologically, differ substantially in body
size, exhibit some distinctive predatory behaviors and killing practices, and manifest a
variety of territorial behaviors and social groupings. Thus the extant species of the
genera Panthera (lion, leopard, tiger, jaguar, and snow leopard), Felis (puma or
cougar), and Acinonyx (cheetah) afford invaluable insights into the adaptations,
diversifications, and behaviors of one tribe (Felini) of the ever-fascinating, however
fearsome, big cats. There is a fundamental human attraction, tempered by trepidation,
toward these animals, among the most visited and admired in zoological gardens and
much prized when observed in natural habitats. Yet all have shrunk substantially in
geographic distribution within recorded history, and they have experienced significant
reduction in numbers in this century.
This scant representation of extant species is but a shadow of the greater felid
diversity, broader geographic distribution, and (probably) enhanced local and overall
population numbers reflected by the fossil record. Extinctions in the course of the late
Tertiary and at several times during the Pleistocene led to the loss of the last of the
paleofelids (Barbourofelis) and of three other major groups (tribes) of felids—
metailurines, homotherines, and smilodontines—comprising minimally 8 genera and,
very conservatively, 24 species. In addition, at least 5 larger species of the tribe Felini
experienced Pleistocene extinction. Thus, minimally, about four-fifths of the large-
bodied felids known over the past 10—12 Ma have vanished—as, it should be noted,
have innumerable ungulate and other species on which they preyed over five
continents. This is a vast loss, a consequence of natural processes attending upon
extinction (s), and a phenomenon especially worthy of consideration in these times of
preoccupation with biodiversity and its conservation.
Al Gor
х • Foreword

The causes of such disappearances are of central concern to paleobiologists, although
there is limited agreement as to the roles played by the effects of global climatic
change and its attendant habitat fragmentation, transformation, and replacement; by
interspecific competition; or by turnovers and other compositional and structural
changes in prey communities. These and other factors have been commonly invoked
to account for extinctions, but the actual processes and circumstances attendant
thereon are, more often than not, matters of inference and speculation.
This remarkable book is an extensively illustrated exposition of the origins,
diversifications, and adaptations of the larger-bodied members, extant and extinct, of
the cat family, the Felidae (it thus excludes the clouded leopard, marbled cat, and
lynxes). The structure, adaptations, and behaviors of the seven extant species
constitute an appropriate and invaluable perspective from which other, often quite
different genera and their included species may be compared and evaluated, and their
adaptations and associated behaviors thereby elucidated. The vagaries of the fossil
record are such that past animals are often known only quite incompletely and
imperfectly, and frequently only from partial fragments of skull, jaw, and/or dental
elements. This is particularly the case among those kinds that are relatively few in
overall numbers, occur naturally in small groups or lead solitary lives, and for
whatever reason have lesser chances overall to be preserved after death. Fortunately,
their distinctiveness can be recognized from characters commonly expressed in skull
and tooth anatomy, even when the total animal is initially largely or wholly unknown
skeletally. This has been true of course for large-bodied felids, almost all of which
were initially known only in fragmentary states. Ultimately, more complete remains
tend to come to light, in time including even entire skeletons of one or more
individuals. Such has been the history of the knowledge and understanding of the
extinct saber-toothed genera Homotherium and Megantereon (a complete skeleton of
each recovered from the ancient volcanic maar of Seneze in the French Auvergne, and
American species of the former from Friesenhahn Cave in Texas), and Machairodus
(largely complete skeletons from Cerro Batallones in central Spain and from several
midwestern American localities). Now the long ill-known, even enigmatic
Paramachairodus is known from multiple skeletons (again from Cerro Batallones),
and Dinofelis, first recorded from eastern Asia, is now well known skeletally from
karstic cavern infills of the Transvaal, South Africa. The vast number of individual
remains of a Smilodon species, California's state fossil, represented at the Rancho La
Brea tar seeps in the Los Angeles basin, are altogether unique and otherwise
unparalleled owing to the special sedimentary circumstances of such natural traps.
Al Gor
Foreword • xi

Alan Turner's lucid text affords a fine introduction to these bigger felids—their place
in nature, occurrence and preservation in the fossil record, profiles of their individual
(taxonomic) identities, and manifold details of their principal anatomical,
physiological, social, and behavioral characteristics in relation to life ways,
subsistence, and associated adaptations. The place of extinct forms in past faunal
associations and in guilds (a term referring to a group of animals that exploit a similar
resource), their eventual disappearances, and the appearance and dispersals of modern
representatives are thoroughly elucidated. The fine drawings and paintings of
Mauricio Anton greatly facilitate and visually enhance the textual exposition; their
individual legends afford much additional information and the requisite elaboration of
particular subject matters. Anton's skill and expertise in animal anatomy are evidenced
throughout the volume, particularly in the exceptional reconstructions that capture
both extinct and extant forms in natural settings, often in full-color plates. These
insightful renditions are absolutely outstanding and fully testify to the artist's
unparalleled knowledge and his craftsmanship at bringing the past to life.
This volume offers many valuable insights into the evolution and natural history
of the greater cats, both present and past. The authors' knowledge of the subject is
intimate and profound, and the talents of the scientific illustrator offer elegant visual
counterpoint of exceptional merit. The book—appropriately dedicated to the late and
lamented Bjorn Kurten, an outstanding contributor to studies of carnivore evolution
and paleobiology—fully deserves and will surely receive a wide readership.

F. Clark Howell
Laboratory for Human Evolutionary Studies
University of California, Berkeley