LIONS IN
AMERICA (Contacts)
Though now confined to Africa and small populations in Asia, lions
were once more abundant worldwide. In
the Pleistocene, lions were found in Europe and North America. North American
lions ranged as far south as Peru, and were larger than modern African lions.
They have often been assigned the taxon Panthera atrox. North
American lions probably hunted deer, now extinct horses (which also once
ranged naturally in North America) and even bison. Hunting large prey such as
bison may not have been as much of a challenge for North American lions based
on their larger size. There is conclusive evidence for the hunting of now extinct
animals by humans during the Pleistocene (See: Mammoths, Camelids,
& Lions). |