Acinonyx jubatus ( Schreber, 1775 )

O’Regan, Hannah J. & Steininger, Christine, 2017, Felidae from Cooper’s Cave, South Africa (Mammalia: Carnivora), Geodiversitas 39 (2), pp. 315-332 : 326

Acinonyx jubatus ( Schreber, 1775)

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Craniodental. CD 3871, left P4 ( Fig. 5H, I ; Table 1); CD 9614 left I3.

DIAGNOSIS AND DISCUSSION

CD 3871 is an almost complete P4, just lacking the mesial border of the protocone.Despite this it can be seen that the protocone was much reduced in comparison with the pantherines. The ectoparastyle is very large, in contrast to Megantereon where there is no ectoparastyle ( Christiansen & Adolfssen 2007; KA 64 pers. obs.). Other than the protocone being slightly more anteriorly placed in CD 3871 it is a very good match for the modern cheetah. The isolated lower incisor CD 9614 has a clear accessory cusp on the buccal surface and is a robust tooth with a relatively short crown. Other than the slight difference in the protocone position on the P4, the Cooper’s D specimens match those of the modern cheetah, and are referred to this species.

Figures

FIG. 5. — Craniodental felid specimens; A-D, Megantereon whitei (Broom, 1937); A, CD 5963, buccal view of right mandible; B, CD 5997, buccal view of left mandible; C, D, CD 10452 in buccal (C) and lingual (D) views of lower M; E, cf. Megantereon whitei, CD 10497, left upper I3 with two cusplets on medial surface; 1 F, G, Machairodontinae indet.,CD 3835,right upper P3 in lingual (F) and occlusal (G) views;Acinonyx jubatus(Schreber,1775),CD 3871, left upper P4 lacking protocone in occlusal (H) and lingual (I) views;J, K, Felis sp.: CD 675,right mandible with lower P3 and partial P4 in buccal (J) and lingual (K) views. Scale bars: 1 cm.