‘Mystery big cats’ in the Peruvian Amazon: morphometrics solve a cryptozoological mystery
Darren Naish1*, Manabu Sakamoto2, Peter Hocking3, Gustavo Sanchez4
1 Ocean and Earth Science, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, University of Southampton, SouthamptonSO14 3ZH, UK
2School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK
3Natural History Museum of the University of San Marcus, Lima, Peru
4Fundación Neotrópico, La Laguna, 38208, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
* Author and address for correspondence ()
Data on whereabouts of specimens
The original specimens are retained in the collections of the Natural History Museum of the National Higher University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru, where they are accessioned as MHN 9397 (‘anomalous jaguar’) and MHN 8736 (‘Peruvian tiger’). High quality casts were created by making plaster molds, then by making acrylic casts from the molds. It is these replicas that were used for our study. The casts are housed at the Fundación Neotrópico, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands where they are accessioned as CF-0022 (‘anomalous jaguar’) and CF-0023 (‘Peruvian tiger’).
Craniomandibular measurements recorded from both skulls. The 36 cranial and 13 mandibular measurements are illustrated on the replica skull and mandible of the ‘Peruvian tiger’ (CF-0023). Values were recorded using a digital caliper.Numbers as in Table 1.
TABLE 1. Cranial and mandibular measurements of the two Peruvian cats in mm.*, mean value of left and right measurements.
Variable‘Anomalous jaguar’‘Peruvian tiger’
- LSkT250218
- LFr7667
- LPa-Oc10787
- Lface10488
- Wiof6458
- Wo4439
- WPOC4343
- WPOP6157
- WBC7675
- Wsn6859
- WC1s7058
- WNA3128
- LN5544
- LNT6554
- WMFS2323
- LCdBs223193
- LBsCr6859
- WIC1s3631
- WI3s-I3s3025
- LC1sP3s1111.5
- Wsk162144
- WP4s-P4s8880
- Wpal9786
- Lpal10491
- LPMMX6252
- WPN2020
- WPN.ant2221
- WMP10192
- WPocP7768
- dAB.ant2525
- dAB.post4539
- WOC4847
- HOC2118
- WFM2526
- WFMV2623
- LP4s*28.725.2
- LSym5548
- LMand*159141
- LDiast*13.516
- Lm1*20.9518.35
- DMdM1*3328
- DMdP4*31.526.5
- RT1*5544.5
- RT2*5547.5
- LCorProc*32.528.5
- RM1*34.532
- RM2*71.566
- DAngProc*1414
- DCond*12.512
Definitions of cranial and mandibular morphometric variables
- LSKT, greatest skull length
- LFr, frontal length
- LPa-Oc, parietal-occipital length
- Lface, facial length
- Wiof, snout width at the infraorbital foramen
- Wo, interorbital width
- WPOC, postorbital constriction width
- WPOP, postorbital process width
- WBC, braincase width
- Wsn, snout width at approximate midsnout
- WC1s, snout width at canines
- WNA, nasal aperture width
- LN, nasal length
- LNT, total nasal length
- WMFS, nasal width at maxillo-frontal suture
- LCdBs, condylo-basal length
- LBsCr, basicranial length
- WIC1s, intercanine distance
- WI3s-I3s, incisor arc width
- LC1sP3s, C1-P3 distance
- Wsk, skull width
- WP4s-P4s, palatal width at P4
- Wpal, palatal width posterior to P4
- Lpal, palatal length
- LPMMX, premaxillary-maxillary length along palatal midline
- WPN, postnarial passage width
- WPN.ant, postnarial passage width at the palatal margin
- WMP, mastoid process width
- WPocP, paroccipital process width
- dAB.ant, auditory bullae distance at the anterior margin
- dAB.post, auditory bullae distance at posterior margin
- WOC, occipital condylar width
- HOC, occipital condylar height
- WFM, foramen magnum width
- WFMV, foramen magnum width the ventral margin
- LP4s, P4 length
- LSym, mandibular symphysis length
- LMand, mandibular length
- LDiast, diastema length
- Lm1, m1 length
- DMdM1, mandibular depth at m1
- DMdP4, mandibular depth at p4
- RT1, temporal muscle lever arm1
- RT2, temporal muscle lever arm2
- LCorProc, antero-posterior coronoid process length
- RM1, masseter muscle lever arm1
- RM2, masseter muscle lever arm2
- DAngProc, angular process depth
- DCond, condylar depth