Skull morphology analysis suggests the extinct Cape lion, Panthera leo melanochaita (Smith, 1842), is not distinctive.
Conservation
Cranial
Lion
Restoration
South Africa
Subspecies
Journal
Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
Titre abrégé: Sci Rep
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101563288
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
16 10 2024
16 10 2024
Historique:
received:
21
05
2024
accepted:
24
09
2024
medline:
17
10
2024
pubmed:
17
10
2024
entrez:
16
10
2024
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
The lion (Panthera leo) was extirpated from the Cape region of South Africa during the mid-nineteenth century. Whilst historically classified as a distinct subspecies known as the Cape lion (P. l. melanochaita), recent molecular studies challenge the distinctiveness of this population, suggesting that it represents the southernmost population of the species' Southern Clade. The Cape lion is often cited as having a distinctive skull morphology, which has justified its subspecific classification, but only a limited number of specimens have been available for examination, so that the Cape lion's skull morphology has not been satisfactorily understood. In this study we collected morphometric data from a greatly enlarged sample of 22 Cape lion skulls, including 12 adults, constituting the largest sample size analysed for this possible subspecies. The results suggest that (1) morphological characteristics of the skull previously thought to distinguish the Cape lion are not diagnostic, and (2) nor is the skull morphology of male and female Cape lions distinct from that of males and females of other southern African lions. Our results independently support those based on molecular investigations, which suggest that the Cape lion was not distinct from other lions within the Southern Clade.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39414828
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-74225-7
pii: 10.1038/s41598-024-74225-7
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
24251Subventions
Organisme : Russian Science Foundation
ID : 23-24-00013
Organisme : SYNTHESYS (Synthesis of Systematic Resources)
ID : BE-TAF-1083
Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
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