Skulls, Skeletons, Canines & Claws

[Balam]

Male jaguar of unknown population and African lioness skulls side-by-side at one of Dublin's museums.

It is interesting to see the striking differences between the length ratios in both specimens. In terms of skull height, they seem pretty even, while the lioness has a more elongated rostrum with broader nasal cavities and a more pronounced internasal suture. The jaguar on the other hand has significantly wider zygomatic arches with a shorter rostrum and smaller nasal cavity. It also has longer and thicker canines that are particularly pronounced at the root. It's hard to tell from these angles but it also appears as though the orbits in the lioness are slightly larger while the jaguar has a more pronounced sagittal crest.

Looking at these two skulls side-by-side we can tell how the anatomy of the jaguar is wired in such a manner that it can support a stronger bite force proportionally that the lion, with the pressure being particularly supported around the molars. The wide zygomas and tall sagittal crest are supported by huge masseter muscles at the back of the skull.

It would be interesting to see if these differences would diminish on a proportional basis if a male lion skull was used.

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Pleistocene jaguar canines from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Unbelievable thickness and length:

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Jaguar and dire wolf (A. dirus), Florida:

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8.89 cms jaguar canine, Florida:

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American lion canines both at 12.7 cms, Florida:

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From right to left: American lion, jaguar, cougar, bobcat, margay, all from Florida. Lion canine length (12.7 cm), jaguar canine length (8.25 cm)

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All canine images from prehistoricflorida.com Reply