THE OREGON CAVES NATIONAL MONUMENT FOSSIL JAGUAR AND THEPAUCITY OF FOSSIL JAGUARS FROM THE WESTERN USA

ABSTRACT:

The most northerly excavated partial skeleton of a fossil jaguar (Panthera onca /augusta) from the USA (Oregon Caves Na- tional Monument, or ORCA) is described, illustrated and identified. Most of the individual bones preserved as fossils are com- pared with those found in living puma (Puma concolor) and jaguar (Panthera onca) skeletons to demonstrate the identification characters for each element and to establish their identification as those of a fossil jaguar. The carbon date on this specimen dates to 38,620 +/- 440 years BP, making it the oldest dated jaguar specimen to date, and within the Rancholabrean land mammal age. Its dentition is about average in size for a Rancholabrean jaguar, but its canine teeth are larger, suggesting a male. Eight localities (including ORCA) containing specimens of fossil jaguar are identified from the western USA., whereas six others containing felid specimens purported to be jaguar are identified as other felids. Given that there was no apparent bias against the preservation of felids in the fossil record in the western USA, it is suggested that there was a relative lack of the preferred prey species in the west (peccaries, armadillos or species associated with water such as turtles, caimans, capybaras or tapirs) compared to the southeast USA, where fossil jaguars are more frequently found.