There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
I gathered published studies on cave lion evolution after the newest Barnett et al (2016) study and modified Sabol's (2011) excellent figure to incorporate all the findings together.
Original Sabol (2011) model:
*This image is copyright of its original author
Multi-study model:
*This image is copyright of its original author
I opted to have an ancestral Eurasian cave lion to split into P. spelaea and P. fossilis to incorporate the 3 migration waves theories of Hanko and Korsos (2007) and Sotnikova and Foronova (2014). Barnett et al. (2016) served to calibrate the split point at 1.89 mya and the P. fossilis of Isernia la Pineta for this species' first appearance. Thoughts?