Do lions have bigger mandibles than other bigcats

[tigerluver]

From Distinguishing skulls of lions (Panthera leo) and tigers (Panthera tigris) by Per Christiansen (2008), lions do have a statistically significantly longer mandible relative to skull length than at least tigers. 134 lions had an average mandible length/condylobasal skull length (CBL) ratio of 0.7426 and a 100 the tigers had a mean value of 0.6883 for this same ratio. The data I derived the comparison from is this:

*This image is copyright of its original author

The mandible/CBL ratio of modern P. leo is essentially the same as P. atrox and P. spelaea as well. 

From Panthera pardus (Carnivora: Felidae) by Stein and Hayssen (2010), leopard skulls have a mandible length/CBL ratio of around 0.73-0.74, essentially the same as the lion. 

*This image is copyright of its original author

Lastly, the jaguar seems to have the proportionately longest mandible of all the big cats. I could not find many published measurements but this sample for example shows that the jaguar has a very long mandible. Even though only basal length was given, the mandible length/basal length ratio of the jaguar 0.842. Extrapolating basal length to CBL using 1.06 as the adjustment factor (the usual ratio of CBL/basal length in most big cats I've found), at least this jaguar sample has a mandible length/CBL ratio of 0.794, the highest of the big cats. Reply