Right around the meter thatHomo sapiensfirst began expand acrossEast Africain hunter - gatherer groups , a mysterious type of jumbo lion roamed the savanna and tropic timber .
An analysis of a late discovered fossilized skull suggests that around 200,000 class ago , members of the current lion species , Panthera leo , were either a lot large or a previously unnamed babe species of monumental lions was thriving in their place .
According to the international squad of paleontologists who studied and dated the find , unearth in the Natodomeri region of northerly Kenya , lion once had one of the wide geographical distributions of any mammalian species – inhabiting areas throughout Africa , up into Eurasia and down the entire eastern half of North America .
“ The skull is singular for its very capital sizing , equivalent to the big cave lions of Pleistocene Eurasia and much larger than any previously know Leo from Africa , living or fossil , ” they wrote in theJournal of Paleontology .
evaluate in at more than 38 centimeters ( 15 inches ) in duration , the skull is about 22 percent longer than those of the largest recorded modern - solar day lions , and most closely matches the size compass of the nonextant North American cave lion .
Although the authors do not make estimation of the brute ’s overall size , if the Natodomeri king of beasts ’s body plan was also similar to the American cave lion , we ’re looking at a approximate range of 1.6 to 2.5 meters ( 5.2 to 8.2 foot ) from the tip of the nose to the base of the derriere and a total weight of 175 to 235 kilograms ( 386 to 518 pound sterling ) .
Lions first develop in Africa 244,000 long time ago and began to transmigrate outwards , splitting intoregional subspeciessoon after . But despite millennia of continual inhabitation , the fogey record on the continent is really quite poor compared with Europe and North America .
As such , it ’s hard to say whether the fossil represents the ancient contour ofPanthera leo – much bigger at the clip – or a truly trenchant species .
Speculating about which finis is more potential , the author point to a well - documentedbiological patternwherein animals get larger the closer they live to the poles and during periods of cold mood . And yet , Notodomeri is highly close to the equator , and weather condition form in the neighborhood 200,000 yr ago were cooler than today but still far from glacial . Plus , modern - daytime Leo are nearly indistinguishable from 2 million - year - one-time fogy of lions found elsewhere in Africa .
Thus , it seems a bit far - fetched thatPanthera leoshot up in size of it then shrivel again within such a forgetful metre .
enquiry has shown that the ancient Notodomeri river delta was a lucullan ecosystem up to of host big groups of the enormous , now - nonextant Pleistocene wight known asmegafauna .
commit the current evidence , the research worker believe that the fogy arrive from an “ out , clear-cut population or race ” that thrived off the area’sgiant American buffalo , towering mega - elephants , and perhaps , terrify early man .
