Meeting Abstract

12-6  Saturday, Jan. 4 11:30 – 11:45  Evidence for an African Cave Lion (Panthera sp): Multiple Panthera individuals from Bridge Cave, Bolt’s Farm, South Africa KUHN, BF*; SALESA, MJ; MAURICIO, A; ARGANT, A; RANDOPH-QUINNEY, P; KGASI, L; GOMMERY, D; University of Johannesburg, South Africa; Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain; Aix Marseille Univ, LAMPEA, Aix-en-Provence, France ; School of Forensic and Applied Sciences, University of Central Lancanshire, Preston, UK; Hope Research Unit, Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology Section, Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa ; Hope Research Unit, Plio-Pleistocene Palaeontology Section, Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, Pretoria, South Africa and Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, South Africa and Sorbonne Université, Paris, France kuhnbf@gmail.com

Recent excavations at the Bridge Cave location within the Bolt’s Farm system have yielded an unprecedented number of Pantherine fossils. To date in excess of 1600 fossils have been recovered from the constrained deposit which measures 1.5 meters across, half a meter high and half a meter deep. Of these fossils, over 600 have been attributed to Panthera. With examples of nearly every bone in the body recovered, and multiples of many elements, we can say with confidence that we have at least eight individuals represented in this assemblage. These individuals are made up of six adult male African lion (Panthera leo) size individuals, a seventh individual noticeably larger than these and a very young juvenile. Taphonomy suggests that a latrine was present inside the cave, lending support for the theory that these ‘lions’ were in fact denning inside of the cave. Other recovered fauna includes mega fauna such as Equus capensis, Phacochoerus modestus, Metridiochoerus andrewsi and class five bovid remains. The presence of Phacochoerus modestus as well as Metridiochoerus andrewsi indicates an age of approximately 1.8 million years.