The Cave Lion (Panthera spelaea and Panthera fossilis)

[GrizzlyClaws]

The fossil record of Panthera fossilis was much older, thus it is also much harder to extract its DNA sample.

So here is the remaining puzzles need to be solved:

1. Panthera spelaea and Panthera fossilis, which one is older?

2. If Panthera spelaea was not as old as it suggests, then we still need to find the missing link up to 2 million years ago where its ancestral form that split off from Panthera leo.


As for the model of Hanko and Korsos' (2007), you can also add the atrox branch within the fossilis branch, and split from the main fossilis branch approximately 400 kya. I assume that Panthera atrox might be evolved from the Asian branch of Panthera fossilis. Reply