The giant cheetah (Acinonyx pardinensis) is an extinct species of big cat closely related to the modern cheetah.
Giant cheetahs were present in Europe during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. The giant cheetah was found in Germany, France, and also in China and India.
The lifestyle and physical characteristics of the giant cheetah were probably similar to those of its modern relative, except the giant cheetah was the height of a lion at the shoulder (but, due to its light build, it weighed considerably less than a lion).
It was roughly twice the size of today's cheetahs, putting it at around 79.37–100 kg (175.0–220.5 lb), and about 200 cm (79 in) from head to rump, not including a 140 cm (55 in) tail.
Its reconstructed shoulder height was at 90 cm (35 in). Like the modern cheetah, the giant cheetah was likely a sprinter, but based on its proportions, was probably slower than the modern cheetah species.
Just as with the modern cheetah, almost every aspect of Acinonyx pardinesis was specialized for running, though not as fast. The muzzle is short and the nasal passage large for increased air intake during a strenuous sprint.
To make room for the enlarged nasal passage, the maxilla was reduced and the anchorage for the canine roots was less, resulting in shorter canine roots and a shorter, more stout external canine, a characteristic seen in the modern cheetah.
Despite its longer legs and potential as a sprinter, the giant cheetah was overall less suited to speed than its modern relatives due to its intermediate build and greater mass.
One of the most complete skulls of this species is from the well-known French site of Saint-Vallier, but the best collection of postcranial bones came from the older site of Perrier in the Massif Central.
It could have preyed upon anything from small, contemporary muntjac deer and mountainous ibex, to elk and possibly sambar, prey that was considerably larger than the modern cheetah's ideal prey, the Thomson's gazelle.
The giant cheetah, like the modern cheetah, seemed to avoid eating bone based on the evidence of its carnassial teeth, and it was a fast eater that likely could consume a great deal of flesh before another predator, such as hyenas, the machairodont Homotherium, or wolves arrived to drive the cat from its kill.
European cheetahs occurred alongside jaguars and leopards at some Middle Pleistocene localities, and competition among the three possibly contributed to the cheetah's decline.
The giant cheetah (Acinonyx pardinensis) is an extinct species of big cat closely related to the modern cheetah.
Giant cheetahs were present in Europe during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. The giant cheetah was found in Germany, France, and also in China and India.
The lifestyle and physical characteristics of the giant cheetah were probably similar to those of its modern relative, except the giant cheetah was the height of a lion at the shoulder (but, due to its light build, it weighed considerably less than a lion).
It was roughly twice the size of today's cheetahs, putting it at around 79.37–100 kg (175.0–220.5 lb), and about 200 cm (79 in) from head to rump, not including a 140 cm (55 in) tail.
Its reconstructed shoulder height was at 90 cm (35 in). Like the modern cheetah, the giant cheetah was likely a sprinter, but based on its proportions, was probably slower than the modern cheetah species.
Just as with the modern cheetah, almost every aspect of Acinonyx pardinesis was specialized for running, though not as fast. The muzzle is short and the nasal passage large for increased air intake during a strenuous sprint.
To make room for the enlarged nasal passage, the maxilla was reduced and the anchorage for the canine roots was less, resulting in shorter canine roots and a shorter, more stout external canine, a characteristic seen in the modern cheetah.
Despite its longer legs and potential as a sprinter, the giant cheetah was overall less suited to speed than its modern relatives due to its intermediate build and greater mass.
One of the most complete skulls of this species is from the well-known French site of Saint-Vallier, but the best collection of postcranial bones came from the older site of Perrier in the Massif Central.
It could have preyed upon anything from small, contemporary muntjac deer and mountainous ibex, to elk and possibly sambar, prey that was considerably larger than the modern cheetah's ideal prey, the Thomson's gazelle.
The giant cheetah, like the modern cheetah, seemed to avoid eating bone based on the evidence of its carnassial teeth, and it was a fast eater that likely could consume a great deal of flesh before another predator, such as hyenas, the machairodont Homotherium, or wolves arrived to drive the cat from its kill.
European cheetahs occurred alongside jaguars and leopards at some Middle Pleistocene localities, and competition among the three possibly contributed to the cheetah's decline.