Tiger-Lion Coexistence in Eurasia between Middle Pleistocene and Holocene Epochs

[Sanju]

(03-21-2019, 05:14 AM)Richardrli Wrote: It's interesting that lions of any kind have never existed in Southeast Asia, one of the only major areas where they didn't expand to.

True. South East Asia, is the birth place of Tropical evergreen forests. It is too short time, for lions to evolve to rain forest environments. True that Lions is one of the most adaptable species except for humid, hot and dense canopy.

The climate in Southeast Asia is mainly tropical–hot and humid all year round with plentiful rainfall. The tropical rain belt causes additional rainfall during the monsoon season. The rain forest is the second largest on earth (with the Amazon being the largest).

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Range of lions since the Pleistocene. Image by Ross Barnett

*This image is copyright of its original author

Mitogenomics of the Extinct Cave Lion, Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810), Resolve its Position within the Panthera Cats

http://dnevniki.ykt.ru/shadowcat/712660

*This image is copyright of its original author

Phylogeography of lions (Panthera leo ssp.) reveals three distinct taxa and a late Pleistocene reduction in genetic diversity, Pleistocene lion distribution and sample origin. Colours correspond to commonly cited population subdivisions (e.g. Baryshnikov & Boeskorov 2001). Numbers refer to particular samples used in this analysis

But, but, but, there is a cat, that lived close to southeast asia, that is in china.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Panthera youngi- Panthera youngi is known from fossil cat species remains from Zhoukoudian in China was described in 1934, Middle Pleistocene of Asia (Choukoutien, northeastern China and Japan) and lived about 350,000 years ago in the Pleistocene epoch. It is believed to be related to modern lions, but is often treated as a separate species, and its relation is mostly unknown.

It's remains were excavated in a Sinanthropus formation in Choukoutien, northeastern China. Upper and lower jaws excavated in Japan's Yamaguchi Prefecture were also attributed to this species. It was suggested that it was conspecific with Panthera atrox and P. spelaea.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Who knows, there might be fossils of new lion spp too in southeast asia which are jungle lions, there is a lot to discover... Even though there are no fossils, there might have lived there as fossils preservation in those climatic conditions is difficult.

@Richardrli Reply