Freak Felids - A Discussion of History's Largest Felines

[peter]

Fascinating photograph. Was there a report? 

The comparison with the Bengal tiger, however, is incorrect. In order to get an idea about the size of the cat that left a print, you need to measure the width of the pad. In adult wild Amur tigresses, the width ranges between 8-11 cm. In males, the pad width is 9-13,5 cm. 

A print with a pad width of 10-12 cm. is impressive:

*This image is copyright of its original author

In spite of the size of the print, the male tiger who left them most probably didn't exceed 200 kg. In India, a tiger who leaves a print of the size seen in the photograph above usually is well over that mark. One could say wild Amur tigers have large paws for their size. 

As to Indian tigers and paws. Those with experience wrote hill tigers, in spite of their large size, often left prints not much larger than those of a large male leopard.

There is a relation between pad width and size in tigers, but it is not a strong one and it differs from place to place. In India, elevation also is a factor to consider.      

To return to the photograph taken in Argentina. The pad width seems to be 9-10 cm. If the cat who left them compared to an Amur tiger, chances are it could have been an adult female ranging between 100-140 kg. Smilodon, however, was a robust cat.

Good find, Brotherbear. Reply