Large Felid Tracks and Bones From Chilly Bowl Cave, Arkansas
ABSTRACT:
Multiple large cat tracks were found within Chilly Bowl Cave, Arkansas, representing at least two individuals of the genus Panthera. Large felid bone fragments were also found in a passageway near the tracks. These poorly preserved skeletal remains primarily consist of metapodials and phalanges and represent the North American Pleistocene jaguar, Panthera onca. Fusion of metapodial epiphyses indicate adult foot size had been reached for this large jaguar. One set of tracks is also consistent with the size and morphology of P. onca. The other tracks are much larger than is known for extant or prehistoric jaguars, and are here attributed to Panthera atrox, the American lion. An alternate hypothesis for the smaller tracks is that they could represent a younger P. atrox instead of P. onca. Regardless of the inability to identify the smaller feline prints to species, these remains and tracks from Chilly Bowl Cave record cave utilization by two separate Pleistocene felids, interpreted here as jaguar and American lion.
SIMPLE LANGUAGE SUMMARY:
The article covers the discovery of large cat tracks and bones in Chilly Bowl Cave, Arkansas, believed to belong to Pleistocene-era big cats. Two sets of tracks were found, one attributed to a jaguar (Panthera onca) and the other to an American lion (Panthera atrox), which was larger than today's lions. The bones, though poorly preserved, also suggest they belonged to a jaguar. Jaguars often used caves as dens, while American lions were less connected to caves but still left evidence of their presence in the region. The discovery helps researchers understand more about how these large cats used caves during the Pleistocene period. These findings, along with other records from nearby caves, highlight the historical presence of large cats in North America.
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