Cave Lion

## *Panthera spelaea*

> On a snowscape a Cave Lion, but they are common in Asia at this time.
>
> Narrator, about the Cave Lion
> in Tales of the Ice Age

The ***Cave Lion*** (*Panthera spelaea*), also known as the **Eurasian cave lion**, **European cave lion** or **steppe lion**, is a genus of prehistoric lion that originated during the Early Pleistocene epoch in what is now Europe. Measuring 3 meters long and weighing 340 kilos, this was among the largest felines species of all time.

In the episode "*Tales of the Ice Age*," a few of these large lions were encountered and lived from Europe of 13,000 years ago.

## Facts

### Era & Discovery

The *Cave Lion* lived during the Pleistocene epoch and through to the Early Holocene, from 1,000,000 to 10,000 years ago. One of the top predators of the Ice Age, these cats may have seemed out of reach, but they were common in Europe during the ice age.

*P. spelaea* was first described by the German paleontologist Georg August Goldfuss in 1810 under the scientific name *Felis spelaea*. The first fossil lion skull was excavated in a cave in southern Germany, research suggests that it may date to the Würm glaciation.

### Physical Attributes

The *Cave Lion* was more related to the modern species rather than other extinct cats, such as *Dinofelis* and even *Smilodon*. Standing 5 feet tall, measuring 11.5 feet (3.5 m) in length, and weighing more than 318 to 363 kg (700 to 800 lbs.), the *Cave Lion* was the largest cat that has ever existed, larger than modern lions of today and slightly bigger than tigers.

These *Cave Lions* also lacked manes like the eastern subspecies of the modern beasts, but some African and Asian male lions also lack manes (or have smaller than expected). Unlike the modern lions, however, cave lions also had thick fur, like most modern Siberian tigers, especially in winter.

In addition to being equipped with 20 retractable, sharp claws on each foot, the *Cave Lion* also had bone-crushing teeth and a bite force of over 1800 pounds, twice the strength of a modern lion's 900-pound bite force. The *Cave Lion* was also a very fast animal, capable of running 30 miles per hour.

### Behavior & Traits

The *Cave Lions* were major predators, hunting ice age deer, bison, and other animals. These lions also were ambush predators, laying in wait and erupting out of the brush to tackle their prey with impressive speed, agility, and strength.

However, like all cats, the *Cave Lion* could only chase prey over a short distance. Despite their size, strength, and relatively long legs, *Cave Lions* were not designed for long-distance chases. Additionally, due to their great size, hunting for these cats is described as "*nearly impossible*". Therefore, it was hard for these cats to hide from their prey as they needed heavy cover to hide their bodies.

## Gallery

1000px-WWB1x6 CaveLionsLetMaleMammothPast.jpg51bs2uA2GhL SX500 .jpgImagesCA98IXNY.jpg892a925f04538e4af845937c7236792e.jpgA Cave Lion fighting a Cave bearMqdefault (1).jpg
## Trivia

* The *Cave Lion* is one the last and largest prehistoric cat. The other being the American Lion.
* The sound effects of the *Cave Lion* are that of bobcat, cougar, ocelot, snow leopard, and tiger sound effects.