With the help of a prehistorical sonny boy carcass feel freeze in Siberia , new research has shew that the extinct cave lion was a separate species to the modern - day Leo . It also suggest that this ferocious Ice Age predatory animal was divided into a western and eastern subspecies .
Thecave lionwas once found across much of northerly Eurasia , Alaska , and the Yukon Territory throughout the Late Pleistocene until it fall into experimental extinction some 14,000 years ago . Scientists have long - debated where these cave - dwelling heavy cats match onto the sept tree , with some suggesting they are race of modern lions , others hint they ’re a separate species completely , while some even contend they may have been more close interrelate to tigers .
Reported in the journalScientific Reports , researchers from the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Sweden recently drive a bass dive into the evolutionary history of cave lions by liken the mitochondrial genomes of 31 specimens find across their entire prehistorical chain of mountains . One of these individuals was “ Spartak ” , a cave Leo greenhorn that remained near - dead preserved in the icy depths of Siberia . At the ripe previous age of 28,000 years , Spartak is said to be the better - preserved Ice Age beast ever discovered .
This reveal that cave lions ( Panthera spelaea ) were indeed a freestanding mintage to advanced - daytime lions ( Panthera leo ) find today in sub - Saharan Africa . It also showed that the cave Leo diverge from a common antecedent they partake in with modern lions roughly 1.85 million years ago , before subsequently splitting into two different race around half a million age ago .
One of these race live in Europe while the other is known as the Beringian cave king of beasts , which once inhabit in Yakutia in Northern Asia , Alaska , Yukon Territory , and the ground span that used to cross between northern Eurasia and America .
The cave Leo is believed to have been slenderly larger than today ’s Panthera leo . spelunk art from the time also indicate that these species might not have had a mane . It ’s also apparent there were strong-arm and behavioral deviation between the two subspecies . Analysis of the specimens ’ skulls and jaw has show that the Beringian cave lions were notably smaller than the European cave lions . Building onprevious workon cave lion diets , the research worker also argue that Beringia Leo the Lion most likely hound bison and horse cavalry , while the European cave lions feed on reindeer .
“ We are now continuing with more genetic analysis , where we aim to sequence unadulterated atomic genomes from several specimens , in fiat to investigate what cistron made the cave lion a cave lion , ” David Stanton , lead generator and a former Marie - Curie Fellow at the Centre for Palaeogenetics , say in astatement .
