| “ | On this snowscape, a lion might seem out of place, but they are common in Europe at this time and a baby Mammoth in trouble is just the sort of thing to get this Cave Lion out of his den. | ” |
The cave lion is an extinct species of big cat from the Panthera genus that lived during the Pleistocene epoch in Europe.
Facts[]
Physical characteristics[]
The cave lion was closely related to the modern lion (Panthera leo), but not to other extinct felids, such as Dinofelis and Smilodon. At 1.5 meters high at the shoulders and at 4 meters in length, it was larger than modern lions of today and slightly bigger than modern tigers.
Cave Lion vs Mother Woolly mammoth over the calf
Cave paintings show that some of these these felids also lacked manes like the eastern subspecies of the modern lion, but some African and Asian male lions also lack manes (or have smaller than average manes), suggesting a closer DNA relationship between the 3 felids. Unlike the modern lions, however, cave lions had thick fur, like the modern Siberian tigers, which helped it survive in the cold.
Behavior and Traits[]
One of the top predators of the Ice Age, cave lions were the biggest species of cats that ever lived. These cats may have been out of reach at that time, but they were common in Europe during the Ice Age.
In the series[]
Walking with Beasts[]
Mammoth Journey[]
Two cave lions letting a male woolly mammoth go by. (Mammoth Journey)
A cave lion is first seen stalking a woolly mammoth mother and calf, waiting for the mother to slip her guard of her calf. However, the cave lion was unsuccessful and eventually gave up, even though the pair of mammoths had completely lost their herd at that time.
Two cave lions were later seen feeding on the carcass of a Cro-Magnon. As a male woolly mammoth went by, the lions were submissive and let him pass without a fight.
Errors[]
- The cave lion was traditionally classified as a subspecies of the lion under the scientific name Panthera leo spelaea. However, since the airing of Walking with Beasts, the cave lion was reclassified as its own species, Panthera spelaea.
- Preserved cave lion hair found near the Maly Anyuy River in 2016 suggests that the cave lion had a fur color similar to modern lions (but lighter) instead of the gray/off-white fur color seen in Walking with Beasts.
Gallery[]
