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scientist have reveal the human race ’s largest - ever Acinonyx jubatus species after analyze fossils of the heavyweight tool ’s skull . The colossal marauder was as heavy as the biggest qat alive today and more than three times as profound as advanced cheetahs .
The species , Acinonyx pleistocaenicus , roamed Eurasia from around 1.3 million to 500,000 years ago . It was first described in 1925 , base on a partial lower jawbone , from Shanxi Province in northernChina .
Artist impression of extinct giant cheetah species Acinonyx pleistocaenicus.
In the new cogitation , researchers analyse these remains along with more recently discovered fossils from China and estimated the fauna ’s weight based on the length of the skull , height of the molar tooth and width of the bony body structure that link the skull and backbone — which is known to bean accurate predictor of physical structure mass in mammals .
They foundA. pleistocaenicuslikely weigh more than 290 pounds ( 130 kilo ) and could strain 420 pounds ( 190 kilo ) — similar in size and weightiness to a modern - day tiger ( Panthera tigris ) or Leo ( Panthera leo ) . It was significantly heavier than modern African cheetahs ( A. jubatus ) , which tumble the scales at around 75 to 140 pounds ( 34 to 64 kilograms ) .
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The new analyzed fogey admit two mandibles , or the upper jawbone , recovered in 2021 from Jinyuan Cave in Liaoning Province in northeast China , and part of a cranium , originally recovered in 1930s from the Zhoukoudian Cave system in Beijing , which had previously been misidentified as a prehistoric hyaena skull . All three specimens date to around 780,000 years ago , during thePleistocene(2.6 million to 11,700 years ago ) .
The squad identified these fossils asA.pleistocaenicusthanks to the creature ' distinctive high , boneheaded - fence in skull and outstandingly broad schnozzle , as well as other revealing features . The investigator also found that the extinct giant cheetahs had some remarkable law of similarity to modern African cheetahs . For model , the arranging of the giant cheetahs ' teeth and the bony space behind the nose gibe those uniquely seen in modern cheetahs .
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The research worker delineate their findings in a survey published in the May 15 edition of the journalQuaternary Science Reviews .
A. pleistocaenicuswent extinct around 500,000 years ago . This monumental Acinonyx jubatus ’s dying was in all probability influenced by climate change that occurred during the Mid - Pleistocene Transition , Qigao Jiangzuo , a paleontologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing , order Live Science . At this time , Earth switched from ice ages cycling every 41,000 twelvemonth to a pattern of longer , stronger meth ages every 100,000 days , leading to longer and more intense period of frigid interrupt by long flow of warmth .
At one of the sites , the researcher also identify another specie of nonextant cheetah , A. intermedius , which they think is a trenchant metal money — not just a smaller descendant ofA. pleistocaenicus . This indicates the hulking beast.A.pleistocaenicuswas likely replaced by the smaller cheetah species .
" We hope our subject area can render more info on the organic evolution and dissemination of the cheetah , highlighting the past success of this amazing descent of cat in Eurasia , " Jiangzuo suppose .
