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Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Felidae

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Puma sp.—Mountain LionsRegional Pleistocene distribution of Puma sp.

Sites.

Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Tule Springs (Mawby 1967)

Literature. Mawby 1967.

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Puma concolor (Linnaeus 1771)—Mountain LionPleistocene distribution of Puma concolor

Synonyms. Felis concolor, Felis daggetti, Felis oregonensis.

Except for some overlap with Panthera onca, Puma concolor currently is the only large cat in our region. It occurs in virtually throughout the region, though most commonly in mountainous terrain.

Pleistocene remains average larger than those in the same areas today (Kurtén and Anderson 1980). Seymour (1993) reported that separation of Panthera onca and Puma concolor can be difficult to discriminate from one another on the basis of osteological characters.

Culver et al. (2000:196) suggested on the basis of genetic information that P. concolor may have been exterminated in North America at the time of the Pleistocene megafaunal extinction, "followed by repopulation and dispersal of a handful of [South American] migrants who had survived the cataclysm."

The tentative record from Algerita Blossom Cave, based on an incomplete metapodial, was reported as Panthera ? by Harris (1993c).

Sites.

Rancholabrean: Campbell Hill (Jefferson 1991b); Tule Springs 3 (Jefferson et al. 2015).

Sangamon: San Pedro Lumber Co. (Jefferson 1991b: cf.).

Wisconsin:CB:8:1 (Mead et al. 2003).

Early/Early-Mid Wisconsin: Lost Valley (Harris 1993c: cf.); Rm Vanishing Floor (Harris 1993c: cf.); Sabertooth Camel Maze (Harris 1993c).

Mid Wisconsin: McKittrick (Schultz 1937).

Mid/Late Wisconsin: Hampton Court (Harris 1993c; UTEP: cf.); Rampart Cave (Kenworthy et al. 2004); Rancho La Brea (Stock and Harris 1992).

Mid/Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Jimenez Cave (Messing 1986); Sierra Diablo Cave (UTEP).

Late Wisconsin: Algerita Blossom Cave (UTEP: cf.); Dust Cave (Harris and Hearst 2012); Muskox Cave (Logan 1981); Park Place (Jefferson 2014); Pyeatt Cave (Mead et al. 2005); U-Bar Cave 13-14 ka (Harris 1989); U-Bar Cave 14-15 ka (Harris 1989).

Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Burnet Cave (Schultz and Howard 1935); Conkling Cavern (Conkling 1932); Deadman Cave (Mead et al. 1984); Howell's Ridge Cave (Harris 1993c); Isleta Cave No. 1 (UTEP); Newberry Cave (Jefferson 1991b); Schuiling Cave (Jefferson 1991b: cf.); Stanton's Cave (Olsen and Olsen 1984); Williams Cave (Ayer 1936).

Literature. Ayer 1936; Conkling 1932; Culver et al. 2000; Harris 1989, 1993c; Harris and Hearst 2012; Jefferson 1991b, 2014; Jefferson et al. 2015; Kenworthy et al. 2004; Kurtén and Anderson 1980; Logan 1981; Mead et al. 1984; Mead et al. 2003; Mead et al. 2005; Messing 1986; Olsen and Olsen 1984 Schultz 1937; Schultz and Howard 1935; Seymour 1993; Stock and Harris 1992).

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Puma lacustris Gazin 1933—Lake CatRegional Pleistocene distribution of Puma lacustris

Synonyms. Felis lacustris, Lynx lacustris

A cat about the size of Lynx (Kurtén and Anderson 1980).

Sites.

Late Blancan: 111 Ranch (Morgan and White 2005).

Literature.

Kurtén and Anderson 1980; Morgan and White 2005.

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Last Update: 22 Apr 2015