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Panthera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the groove metal band, see Pantera; for the suggested Roman father of Jesus see Panthera (Roman soldier)
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| Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Panthera is a genus of the family Felidae (the cats), which contains four well-known living species: the lion, tiger, jaguar, and leopard. The genus comprises about half of the big cats. One meaning of the word panther is to designate cats of this family. Only these four cat species have the anatomical changes enabling them to roar. The primary reason for this was assumed to be the incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone. However, new studies show that the ability to roar is due to other morphological features, especially of the larynx. The snow leopard, Uncia uncia, which is sometimes included within Panthera, does not roar. Although it has an incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone, it lacks the special morphology of the larynx, which is typical for lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards.[1]
There have been many subspecies of leopard and lion suggested; however, most of these are questionable. Recently it has been proposed that all sub-saharan leopards and all sub-saharan lions belong to the same subspecies, as they do not have sufficient genetic distinction between them. Some prehistoric lion subspecies have been described from historical evidence and fossils. They may have been separate species.
Black panther is not a distinct species but just a common name for black specimen of the genus, most often encountered in jaguar and leopard species.
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
- Mazák, V. 1981. Panthera tigris. Mammalian Species, 152: 1-8. American Society of Mammalogists. (Available online)
- ^ Nowak, Ronald M. (1999). Walker's Mammals of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9.
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