Ngandong Tiger (Panthera Tigris soloensis)

[tigerluver]

(02-11-2019, 01:10 AM)smedz Wrote: After hearing about the Ngandong tiger, I thought this animal deserved it's own thread. Many questions an average person would have are 

1. How big was it? 
2. What was on it's menu? 
3. Why was it so big? 
4. What predators would it have competed with? (No vs debates please) 
5. We're they the biggest pantherine cats yet discovered? 

What are all of your thoughts?

Sorry for the delays.

@GrizzlyClaws is very knowledgeable in extinct cats and answered your questions well.

1. The largest femur was 480 mm. For comparison, the largest femur from any other pantherine is 470 mm, from a P. spelaea/fossilis. The longest known P. atrox femur was 460 mm. At the least, it was around the size of the giant lions. A younger fossil that can be found in the freak felids thread likely outsized the femur by a ways.

2. Probably young Stegodon, Hexoprotodon, Sus sp., and Bos sp. 

3 and 4. Niche partitioning was likely the reason. There was another felid in Hemimachairdous in the area that was about the size of a lion. The only way to not compete with such is to outgrow it and hunt larger prey.

5. It is very difficult to assign what specimen was the biggest ever as everyone is close at the top. New specimens keep shattering records as time goes on. Reply