| Panthera leo vereshchagini | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | P. leo |
| Subspecies: | †P. l. vereshchagini |
| Trinomial name | |
| Panthera leo vereshchagini (Baryshnikov & Boeskorov, 2001) |
|
Panthera leo vereshchagini, known as the East Siberian- or Beringian cave lion[1] is an extinct prehistoric lion that inhabited Yakutia (Russia), Alaska (USA), and the Yukon Territory (Canada) during the Pleistocene epoch. Analysis of skulls and mandibles of this lion suggest that it is a new subspecies different from the other prehistoric lions. It differs from the European cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea) by its larger size and from the American lion (Panthera leo atrox) by its smaller size and by skull proportions.[1][2] However, recent genetic research, using ancient DNA from Beringian lions found no evidence for separating Panthera leo vereshchagini from the European cave lion; indeed, DNA signatures from lions from Europe and Alaska were indistinguishable, suggesting one large panmictic population.[3]