The felids (Felidae) are a family of mammals belonging to the order Carnivora that have inhabited the earth for millions of years. The oldest fossil found to date reveals that it was a snow leopard (Panthera blytheae) that lived in Asia 4.1 to 5.9 million years ago. [1]Interest in these big cats is growing, for this reason, many people want to know more about those that have disappeared, either for reasons natural or by human intervention.
If you also want to know what are the extinct feline species you have come to the right place, in this article on our site we will show you 7 species of felines in the world that have become extinct, also explaining the most likely causes or curiosities that have recently been revealed. You can not lose this!
American Lion
The Panthera leo atrox was a feline that lived during the prehistoricperiod, specifically during the Pleistocene, which is why it is also called a cave lion.
Believed to be the largest feline species , and research has revealed that it lived and hunted in packs, being a predator of large animals, such as mammoths and horses. Most of its remains have been found throughout the American continent.
There are several hypotheses about its extinction, although today most of them point to the effect of climate change, coinciding with the end of the last ice age, or on the hunt for prehistoric man.
Cape Lion
Panthera leo melanochaitus was Africa's largest cat, until its extinction in the late 1860s. It did not live in packs and was he dedicated himself to hunting any prey that seemed attractive to him, from zebras to certain marine animals, such as seals.
Precisely this was what led them to extinction. With the arrival of English and Dutch settlers in the 17th century, the Cape lion became a threat, since there are many testimonies from the time where it is said that they attacked cattle and peoplealike.
The sport hunting, the gradual scarcity of their main sources of food (which man used for the same purpose) andthe extermination to put an end to a species considered dangerous for the populations, ended up making the Cape lion extinct.
Java tiger
Endemic to the island of Java, belonging to Indonesia, the Panthera tigris sondaica became extinct in 1979.
It had inhabited the island since the Pleistocene and was characterized by a dark and thick coat, in which some specimens could boast up to a hundred stripes across its body. Starting in the 19th century, its population began to plummet. There were several reasons, although all determined by the same fact: the increase in the human population on the island. This not only destroyed their habitat, but also reduced the number of their usual prey and that, together with hunting for sport and the trafficking of their skin, put an end to this species.
Atlas Lion
Currently the Panthera leo leo is extinct in the wild, only an unknown number of individuals survive, whose lineage purity is put at risk. doubt.
Native of Africa, it is the species of largest lion of the modern era, since there are testimonies and dissected specimens that exceed three meters and three hundred kilos of weight. However, today there are still discrepancies regarding its exact characteristics. It used to hunt, either alone or in small groups, and inhabited forests as well as deserts and African savannahs.
The history of extinction of the Atlas is long: revered by the ancient Egyptian peoples and coveted by the Romans, the advances of these civilizations little by little they were reducing the natural habitat of the species, by deforesting and destroying their main prey. As a consequence, it became a threat to herds and humans, until only a few specimens remained in zoos.
Bali Tiger
Endemic to the Island of Bali, belonging to Indonesia, the Panthera tigris balica was a species of tiger fromsmall size Similar to the Javan tiger, with which it is believed to be related, the largest specimens reached a maximum weight of one hundred kilos.
Although never a large species, the last Bali tiger died in 1937, making the species extinct. This was contributed by the increase in the human population, which gradually deforested the areas where this feline lived, in addition to hunting it as sport and with the intention of keeping it away from people.
Owen's Panther
The Puma pardoides inhabited Asia and Europe at the end of the Pliocene. It is considered the species prior to the appearance of the puma as we know it today, although the remains found are also similar to current leopards.
There is little information about this species. It is suspected that their disappearance was caused by other larger mammals, which displaced them from the areas where they found their food, posing a danger to their survival.
Saber-toothed tiger
This name is popularly used to include the genre of felines known scientifically as Smilodon, of which there were three different species, all of them extinct currently. It inhabited the Earth between the Pliocene and the Pleistocene, being distributed throughout the continent American. Its most notable feature was the size of the canine teeth, which protruded from the jaw.
There are several hypotheses that try to explain the extinction of these large mammals. One of them maintains that, with the arrival of man, the usual prey of this species decreased, in turn ending these felines due to lack of food. Another theory attributes the responsibility to climate change, with the end of the ice age.
Felines in danger of extinction
As you can see, several feline species have become extinct, most of them due to human action. This is not only sad, but also worrying. At what point will the man become aware of the negative effect of his actions? As if that were not enough, today there are many feline species that are critically endangered Although we cannot show you all the species of wild cats found in danger of extinction, we can show you the four most representative:
Sumatran Tiger
The Panthera tigris sumatrae is classified as a critically endangered species, as there are less than five hundred specimens, located only on Sumatra, an island from Indonesia. Although they formerly lived in forests and lowlands, today only a few hundred are preserved in reserves and national parks. The main cause of population decline is indiscriminate hunting and habitat destruction
Siberian Tiger
The Panthera tigris virgata today only exists in certain areas of RussiaThe country's government is currently promoting various reintroductionprograms, reproduction and protection of the species. Their biggest enemy is the skin and bone dealers, who hunt them down to sell these parts on the black market.
Iberian lynx
Endemic to the Iberian Peninsula, it is estimated that there are less than three hundred individuals of the Lynx pardinus. The species is threatened by poachers and the unconsciousness of the populations around which it lives, which frequently poison or run over on the roads.
Bengal tiger
The Panthera tigris tigris is one of the tigers whose global distribution, under natural conditions, encompassed the largest number of ecosystems, since it inhabited both savannahs and tropical forests. Their greatest threat is poaching and the destruction of their habitat
Do you want to know more about extinct animals?
The planet has been inhabited by all kinds of species, many of them of incredible size or surprising characteristics, for this reason, if you want to know more on our site you can discover all kinds of animals that have been extinct, such as 15 extinct dog breeds or prehistoric marine animals.
And if you want to go a little further… Do not hesitate to visit our articles on types of carnivorous dinosaurs and types of herbivorous dinosaurs, two incredible lists full of curiosities and images that will leave you speechless, guaranteed! !
