ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - B - THE LION (Panthera leo)

[johnny rex]

(10-06-2018, 11:34 PM)GuateGojira Wrote:

(09-20-2018, 11:15 AM)johnny rex Wrote: I have contacted the owner of the skull cast of Lionzilla about the skull itself through a taxidermy forum, Lionzilla is not the Extra large lion skull from Bone Clones. She informed me that she measured Lionzilla skull with calipers without the lower jaw with overall score equal to 28 inches or 710 mm.

I saw your post in the Tiger extinction topic, but the owner continue quoting only the final score of 28 inches. If she measured the skull with calipers, why she don't say the correct measurements, which are greatest length and appart the bizygomatic wide by separate? She only measured the mold (420 mm x 297 mm) and altough the length match with the largest skulls actually measured, the wide is simple exagerated.

The largest skull measured by Rowland Ward (1914; not owner's meausrements) was of the giant specimen from Kirby's lion, that measured 16.5 inches (419 mm) in greatest length and 10 inches (254 mm) wide, this is the true record specimen in hunting sources and the total score is of 26.5 inches. The largest lion skull from Stevenson-Hamilton was of 16 inches (406 mm) in greatest length and 10 3/5 inches (269 mm) wide (if this skull was measured with calipers or between perpendiculars, like the "accurate" hunters (where Stevenson-Hamilton belong) in the old days done, is not known) and produce an score of 26 3/5 inches.

Interestingly the only lion skull with the score of 28 inches is the captive lion of Delagoa Bay (432mm X 281mm), that now we know was incorrectly reported by Rowland Ward (1914; owner's measurements). That is why I am suspicious of this lion "record" of Lionzilla. Even worst, a bizygomatic wide of 297 mm sounds like a clear exageration, as no lion or tiger skull reported was so wide (only cave lions!!!). In fact, the widest lion skull in scientific litterature was of 277 mm and came from a captive specimen in New York (Hollister, 1917) and the extra large lion skull from Bone Clones is 278 mm wide.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that you are talking with this person, but certainly I can't belive in her, specially when there are no records reported, in hunting and scientific records actually measured and from dozens of specimens, with those dimentions.

Yeah, she measured the mold only. She continued in her latest reply, the measurement of the skull cast in the original ebay page is more accurate than the measurement of the mold because she said mold especially if it is made of silicone can become deformed when handled. This is her latest message to me "Measuring from the mold definitely will add or subtract a half centimeter or maybe more, as it is harder to measure especially length wise due to the way the mold is separated. Molds, being made of silicone, can also deform a bit when handled. I do know that the measurement on the listing was made directly from the cast so it is the more accurate of the two." Its length is around the length of record size lion skull, but the width is questionable.
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