Research overview: body size of the American lion

This overview examines the body size of Panthera atrox, frequently cited as one of the largest cats ever to have lived. Reconstructions based on its robust skeleton suggest it exceeded the modern African lion in mass, with large individuals rivalling or surpassing the biggest living and extinct pantherines. The survey reviews how researchers estimate the animal's weight from limb-bone and skull dimensions, the uncertainties introduced by its somewhat distinctive proportions, and how its size compares with the cave lion, Smilodon, and modern big cats. It discusses what such large size implies about the prey the American lion could tackle, its energetic requirements, and its dominant position within the late Pleistocene North American predator guild before its extinction.