Panthera is a genus of large felids that have roamed most of the world starting in the late Miocene. The genus was the first in Prehistoric Kingdom to still have living members in lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and Snow Leopards (a title it now shares with Ursus).
Prehistoric Kingdom includes the extinct species P. spelaea and P.atrox, better known as the Eurasian and American Cave Lion respectively.
They were added to the game in Update 10 (EA 1.7).
In-Game[]
Description[]
Both species of Panthera in Prehistoric Kingdom bear largely beige-light brown fur coats and a dark tail tip, with P. spelaea being spotless and sharply counter-shaded, while P. atrox bears faint rosettes similar to those seen in younger modern lions and a more faded countershading pattern across its body. P. atrox and P. spelaea have slight sexual dimorphism, with females being smaller and having shorter neck, underside and forelimb fur than males.
P. atrox is the larger of the two species, being in the same size class as fellow felid Smilodon populator. Though while their size may be similar, the Sabertooths and Cave Lions bear striking differences including overall proportions, skull shape, tail length, coat patterning, vocalization and more.
Management[]
In-Game Trivia[]
Nigel Marven
Modern lions, American cave lions, and Eurasian cave lions are just three of the many species of big cat belonging to the genus Panthera.
Nigel Marven
In its heyday, the Eurasian species of Cave Lion could hunt large game like Reindeer across Europe, Asia and even North America thanks to the Bering Land Bridge.
Paleontology[]
Panthera spelaea and Panthera atrox are quintessential "Big Cats" in every sense of the word, as members of Pantherinae (the "true big cats"), and in their overall stature. The genus Panthera was coined in 1816 by Lorenz Oken and later underwent some major revisions, as before this most felid species were housed under the genus Felis.
P. spelaea itself was even originally named as "Felis spelaea" in 1810 by Georg August Goldfuss using a lion skull excavated from a cave in southern Germany. The Cave Lion was later long considered a subspecies of Panthera leo, but more close research of the characteristics of its skull and later genetic analysis has supported P. spelaea as its own species. This species is known from stellar physical remains including both skeletal material and mummified cubs, and beautifully detailed cave paintings such as those found in the French Chauvet Cave.
P. atrox was also originally described as a species of Felis, "Felis atrox", by Joseph Leidy in 1853 using a fragmentary jawbone, only being moved into the genus Panthera in 1941. Other material was found later and named as multiple different species that were later synonymized with atrox. The bulk of P. atrox material is known from the world famous La Brea Tar Pits, with 80+ individuals known from the site.
Paleoecology[]
Panthera spelaea is thought to have split off from its ancestral population Panthera fossilis around 460,000 years ago, ranging across Eurasia and into Beringia, the ice age landmass bridging Eurasia and North America. These animals acted as apex predators of the Mammoth Steppe, hunting prey such as bison, young mammoths and other large game similar to their modern kin in Africa today. There are even remains of Cave Bears that appear to have been predated on by Cave Lions, seemingly ambushing the bears in their caves during hibernation much like modern tigers.
Panthera atrox is thought to have descended from an isolated population of early P. spelaea cut off from the Beringian population by massive glaciers around 340,000 years ago, growing larger and more cursorial than its Eurasian kin. The species ranged widely over North America south of the glaciers, but never made it to South America, remains that were once thought to belong to a South American population of P. atrox instead turned out to be abnormally large jaguars.
Panthera is a genus of large felids that have roamed most of the world starting in the late Miocene. The genus was the first in Prehistoric Kingdom to still have living members in lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars and Snow Leopards (a title it now shares with Ursus).
Prehistoric Kingdom includes the extinct species P. spelaea and P.atrox, better known as the Eurasian and American Cave Lion respectively.
They were added to the game in Update 10 (EA 1.7).
In-Game[]
Description[]
Both species of Panthera in Prehistoric Kingdom bear largely beige-light brown fur coats and a dark tail tip, with P. spelaea being spotless and sharply counter-shaded, while P. atrox bears faint rosettes similar to those seen in younger modern lions and a more faded countershading pattern across its body. P. atrox and P. spelaea have slight sexual dimorphism, with females being smaller and having shorter neck, underside and forelimb fur than males.
P. atrox is the larger of the two species, being in the same size class as fellow felid Smilodon populator. Though while their size may be similar, the Sabertooths and Cave Lions bear striking differences including overall proportions, skull shape, tail length, coat patterning, vocalization and more.
Management[]
In-Game Trivia[]
Nigel Marven
Although we often associate lions with Africa, the range of prehistoric cave lions spanned across multiple continents in the northern hemisphere.
Nigel Marven
The American species of cave lion prefers the same types of habitat as its modern cousin: Spacious savannahs and grasslands. I wonder if they'd enjoy the same enrichment programme as African lions do, too?
Paleontology[]
Panthera spelaea and Panthera atrox are quintessential "Big Cats" in every sense of the word, as members of Pantherinae (the "true big cats"), and in their overall stature. The genus Panthera was coined in 1816 by Lorenz Oken and later underwent some major revisions, as before this most felid species were housed under the genus Felis.
P. spelaea itself was even originally named as "Felis spelaea" in 1810 by Georg August Goldfuss using a lion skull excavated from a cave in southern Germany. The Cave Lion was later long considered a subspecies of Panthera leo, but more close research of the characteristics of its skull and later genetic analysis has supported P. spelaea as its own species. This species is known from stellar physical remains including both skeletal material and mummified cubs, and beautifully detailed cave paintings such as those found in the French Chauvet Cave.
P. atrox was also originally described as a species of Felis, "Felis atrox", by Joseph Leidy in 1853 using a fragmentary jawbone, only being moved into the genus Panthera in 1941. Other material was found later and named as multiple different species that were later synonymized with atrox. The bulk of P. atrox material is known from the world famous La Brea Tar Pits, with 80+ individuals known from the site.
Paleoecology[]
Panthera spelaea is thought to have split off from its ancestral population Panthera fossilis around 460,000 years ago, ranging across Eurasia and into Beringia, the ice age landmass bridging Eurasia and North America. These animals acted as apex predators of the Mammoth Steppe, hunting prey such as bison, young mammoths and other large game similar to their modern kin in Africa today. There are even remains of Cave Bears that appear to have been predated on by Cave Lions, seemingly ambushing the bears in their caves during hibernation much like modern tigers.
Panthera atrox is thought to have descended from an isolated population of early P. spelaea cut off from the Beringian population by massive glaciers around 340,000 years ago, growing larger and more cursorial than its Eurasian kin. The species ranged widely over North America south of the glaciers, but never made it to South America, remains that were once thought to belong to a South American population of P. atrox instead turned out to be abnormally large jaguars.Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Panthera was revealed in the October 2023 Devlog, along with Carcharodontosaurus; both species had been considered in the very early stages of development back in 2014, but were thought to have been scrapped.
- While the Carcharodontosaurus had concept art, an in-engine render and audio, the Cave Lion only had audio made at that time.
- Panthera was the second felid to be added to Prehistoric Kingdom, with the first being Smilodon.
- The original Panthera model revealed in the October 2023 Devlog bears a small flaw; the inclusion of dewclaws on their hindlimbs, a trait absent in modern cats and Cave Lions.
- The claws were removed in the final version of the model released in Update 10.
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