Pantherinae

Pantherinae
Temporal range: Late Miocene to Holocene
Pantherinae subfamily members (from left): jaguar, leopard, lion, tiger, snow leopard and clouded leopard
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Pocock, 1917
Genera

The Pantherinae is a subfamily of the Felidae; it was named and first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1917 as only including the Panthera species. The Pantherinae genetically diverged from a common ancestor between 9.32 to 4.47 million years ago and 10.67 to 3.76 million years ago.

Characteristics

Pantherinae species are characterised by an imperfectly ossified hyoid bone with elastic tendons that enable their larynx to be mobile. They have a flat rhinarium that only barely reaches the dorsal side of the nose. The area between the nostrils is narrow, and not extended sidewards as in the Felinae.

The Panthera species have a single, rounded, vocal fold with a thick mucosal lining, a large vocalis muscle, and a large cricothyroid muscle with long and narrow membranes. A vocal fold that is longer than 19 mm (0.75 in) enables all but the snow leopard among them to roar, as it has shorter vocal folds of 9 mm (0.35 in) that provide a lower resistance to airflow; this distinction was one reason it was proposed to be retained in the genus Uncia.

Evolution

The Felidae originated in Central Asia in the Late Miocene; the subfamily Pantherinae diverged from the Felidae between 14.45 to 8.38 million years ago and 16.35 to 7.91 million years ago. Several fossil Panthera species were described:

An additional fossil genus Leontoceryx was described in 1938.

There is evidence of distinct markers for the mitochondrial genome for Felidae.

Results of a DNA-based study indicate that the tiger (Panthera tigris) branched off first, followed by the jaguar (P. onca), the lion (P. leo), then the leopard (P. pardus) and snow leopard (P. uncia).

Felis pamiri, formerly referred to as Metailurus, is now considered a probable relative of extant Pantherinae and was moved to the genus Miopanthera.

Taxonomy

Pocock originally defined the Pantherinae as comprising the genera Panthera and Uncia. Today, Uncia has been subsumed into Panthera, and the genus Neofelis is also included.

Living genera

The following table shows the extant taxa within the Pantherinae, grouped according to the traditional phenotypical classification.

Genus NeofelisGray, 1867 – two species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Clouded leopard

Leopard with large spots facing viewer

N. nebulosa
(Griffith, 1821)
Central Nepal to continental Southeast Asia and southern China
Map of range
Size: head to body 68.6–108 cm (27.0–42.5 in) with 61–91 cm (24–36 in) long tail

Habitat: Forest and shrubland

Diet: Medium-sized and small mammals on the ground and in trees, as well as birds
 VU 


3,700-5,600 Population declining

Sunda clouded leopard

Leopard crouching under leaves at night

N. diardi
Cuvier, 1823

Two subspecies
Parts of Sumatra and Borneo
Map of range
Size: 69–108 cm (27–43 in) long, 61–91 cm (24–36 in) tail

Habitat: Forest

Diet: Medium-sized and small mammals
 VU 


4,500 Population declining

Genus PantheraOken, 1816 – five species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Jaguar

Spotted jaguar on a rock

P. onca
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Large swathes of South and Latin America, and Arizona in the United States
Map of range
Size: 110–170 cm (43–67 in) long, 44–80 cm (17–31 in) tail

Habitat: Forest, shrubland, inland wetlands, savanna, and grassland

Diet: Variety of mammals, reptiles and birds, preferring ungulates
 NT 


Unknown Population declining

Leopard

Spotted leopard walking in front of grass

P. pardus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Eight subspecies
Much of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, the Caucasus in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Siberia
Map of range
Size: 91–191 cm (36–75 in) long, 51–101 cm (20–40 in) tail

Habitat: Forest, desert, rocky areas, grassland, savanna, and shrubland

Diet: Ungulates, as well as other mammals, insects, reptiles, and birds
 VU 


Unknown Population declining

Lion

Brown male lion lying in tall grass

P. leo
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Two subspecies
Sub-Saharan Africa and India
Map of range
Size: 137–250 cm (54–98 in) long, 60–100 cm (24–39 in) tail

Habitat: Forest, grassland, shrubland, savanna, and desert

Diet: Ungulates such as antelopes, zebra, and wildebeest, as well as other small to large mammals
 VU 


23,000–39,000 Population declining

Snow leopard

Spotted snow leopard standing in the grass

P. uncia
(Schreber, 1775)
Himalayas reaching north to Mongolia
Map of range
Size: 90–120 cm (35–47 in) long, 80–100 cm (31–39 in) tail

Habitat: Shrubland, rocky areas, forest, and grassland

Diet: Caprids such as sheep and goats, as well as small mammals and birds
 VU 


2,700–3,400 Population declining

Tiger

Large orange tiger with black stripes

P. tigris
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Two subspecies
Scattered sections of Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, and Siberia
Map of range
Size: 150–230 cm (59–91 in) long, 90–110 cm (35–43 in) tail

Habitat: Shrubland, forest, and grassland

Diet: Deer and wild pigs, as well as a wide variety of other animals
 EN 


2,600–3,900 Population declining


See also


This page was last updated at 2024-03-12 17:15 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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