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EXTREMELY RARE NORTH AMERICAN ICE AGE LION MEAT-SHEARING MOLAR TOOTH WITH ROOT AND FULL CROWN Levy County - Florida, U.S.A. LATE PLEISTOCENE PERIOD: 10,000 years ago This is an extremely rare fossil lower M1 carnassial molar tooth of the North American Ice Age giant lion Panthera atrox. The M1 molar is the primary meat-shearing carnassial tooth in the jaw. This massive feline would have first killed its unfortunate victim with its fangs and then, sheared off hunks of meat with the primary M1 molars which acted like cleavers as it bit down. Any fossils of Panthera atrox are probably the rarest fossils one could ask for of large cats in North America. The NORTH AMERICAN LION was THE largest felid that ever lived on the continent - much larger than Smilodon fatalis! Acquiring a fine grade AMERICAN LION, Panthera atrox fossil tooth is something you might wait all your life for to locate. This is a spectacular specimen and its enormous size demonstrates just how big this roaring Ice Age cat was. The crown is complete and the beveled surface that articulated with the upper M1 molar is wonderfully preserved. The primary root is intact and the smaller secondary root is mostly complete. The brownish black root adds just enough contrast to the black mottled enamel of the crown to impart an attractive yet, sinister appearance to this spectacular specimen. While Smilodon fossils are rare, fossils from the North American Lion are beyond rare. NO REPAIR and NO RESTORATION. Far, far more rare than a T. rex tooth. Not only is this is a potential once-in-a-lifetime prize fossil for an advanced collection, it would also make an incredible talisman for a jeweler to mount into a "never-to-be-forgotten" pendant to wear on a necklace! The North American Lion had no enemies to fear. Nothing could have been more dangerous than this brute of America's last Ice Age. Fossil cats can be grouped in two major classes based on the geometry of their upper fangs. Cats that have canines with round a cross-section are called CONICAL-TOOTHED cats. The saber-toothed cats are in a separate class and they also can be grouped in two further classes known as SCIMITAR-TOOTHED cats and DIRK-TOOTHED cats. The largest of the conical-toothed cats belong to the genus Panthera. The name is derived from two Greek words, PAN (meaning 'all') and the word THERAS (meaning hunter). The translation of the combination of these words meant "hunter of all" because these large cats could kill anything. Along with their enormous size that ranks as the largest of the felids in the world, these giant cats have modifications to their hyoids allowing them the ability to roar. Common names of the members of this genus include lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards. The origination of the genus remains unclear but fossil remains date back as far as around 3 million years ago in the Pliocene Era. Panthera atrox also known as the North American Lion or American Cave Lion, is an extinct sub-species of the genus. The name Panthera atrox translates from Latin meaning "cruel lion". The American Lion is THE largest lion species to have ever lived on the planet, measuring at least 25% larger than a modern African lion. This animal lived until the end of the Late Pleistocene in North America. Fossil remains are most abundant in the La Brea tar pits of California and the Yukon Territory in Alaska. This massive beast would have likely fed on bison, deer, horses and mammoths. The last of these great predators succumbed to extinction in North America approximately 10,000 years ago. THE FUNDAMENTAL TOOTH THAT THE LION USED TO EAT ITS PREY - THIS IS THE PRIMARY MEAT-SHEARING CARNASSIAL TOOTH INCREDIBLY RARE, GIANT FOSSIL TOOTH OF THE LARGEST, MOST DANGEROUS ROARING CAT OF AMERICA'S LAST ICE AGE A TRUE INVESTMENT FOSSIL! FAR MORE RARE THAN A T. REX TOOTH 2.25" long overall SOLD LM70-001 INCLUDES DISPLAY BOX Actual Item - One Only |
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