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BorneanTiger Offline

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#488

08-24-2019, 04:51 PM

(08-24-2019, 03:14 PM)Luipaard Wrote: From The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society by W. S. Millard and R. A. Spence (date of publication 1st July 1920) (source)

RECORD PANTHER SKULL (F. PARDUS.)

Through Mr. Eugene J. Van Ingen, the Society recently received the skull of a Panther which in dimension easily establishes a record for India. The animal was obtained by Mr. E. E. Limouzin of Dunsandle Estate, Ootacamund, in the Water Fall Shola.

In forwarding the skull Mr. Van Ingen writes:-

"I send here with the skull and ribs of a Panther (?). As the skull seems abnormally large and more like a tiger's, I should be extremely obliged, if you would examine it and tell me whether it is a tiger's or a panther's.

I may mention that the owner, Mr. E. E. Limouzin of Dunsandli Estate, Ootacamund, declares it to be a Panther's but yet is not quite sure about it. While out shooting he caught a glimpse of the animal, late in the evening about dusk, and wounded and lost it. It was found some days afterwards but by then decomposition had set in and vultures and jackals had destroyed the skin; the skeleton and skull remained together with strips of skin, and Mr. Limouzin examined what he found of the latter carefully and is positive the animal is a panther.

Yet I think the skull seems to be quite out of proportion with the ribs and Mr. L. remarked the same. He tells me that he had seen this panther previously on several occasions, and had examined him through his glasses and though his head and fore quarters seemed to be extremely large and powerfully built, the body and hind quarters seemed to dwindle away! Before this, in fact almost a year ago, Col. W. told me that he had seen a panther a few miles from Dunsandli, and he described its head, chest and forearms to have been enormous. It was standing on a rock 20 yards away looking down at him and Col. W., who has shot many panthers, claimed it to be the largest he had ever seen. He quite believes this animal of Mr. Limouzin to be the one seen by him.

Another reason Mr. Limouzin gives by which he is positive is that a few minutes previous to coming on to the Panther he heard the unmistakable call of a panther.

I much regret that I did not send you on of the claws, nearly all of which Mr. Lisonzin recovered. They are quite the size of a large tigress. As regards the skull, in the course of my profession I have seen many panther skulls; many of them belonging to animals well of 7 ft. but none anywhere approaching this one in size."

Writing later Mr. Limouzin says: By to-day's Mail I have sent the entire skeleton of the panther to your care (with the exception of one rib, smashed to bits by the bullet and another rib, broken, possibly by the explosion internally). Before I fired at the panther I was very much struck with the extraordinary size of his head and shoulders, he appeared to be immense, but unfortunately he jumped aside and I was only able to get a "snapshot" at his side going down hill, from me."

The skull sent is undoubtedly that of an adult Panther. The skull sent in by Mr. Van Ingen measures as follows:-

*This image is copyright of its original author

The largest speciment in the Society's collection measures 8.3" in basal length and is 5.9" wide across the zygomata. This animal is taped 7'.3".

Blandford in his Mammalia, writing on the points of distinction between the skulls of Tigers and Panthers say:-

"The upper surface of the skull (Panther) is arched as in the Tiger, but the lower jaw is convex beneath, as in the Lion, the cordyle being proportionately nearer the angle even than in the latter. When a Leopard's skull, with the mandible attached, is placed on a flat surface, the hinder part of the skull almost always touched that surface".

We publish for comparison a photograph of Mr. Limouzin's panther together with a photo of a tiger's skull and that of the largest Panther skull in the Society's collection. Also a Lion's skull.

*This image is copyright of its original author

IMO, this account adds credibility to Alfred Edward Pease's assertion that in the Atlas Mountains of the Maghreb (Northwest Africa), there were ferocious black panthers that were much bigger and more powerful than regular leopards, and about the same size as the Barbary lion, pages 55–56:

*This image is copyright of its original author

To compare, the record breaking Indian leopard of Bilaspur measured 8 feet 7 inches (2 m 62 cm) from head to tail: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himach...42548.html