From giant to dwarf: A trend of decreasing size in Panthera spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) and its likely implications

The Eurasian fossil record of Panthera spelaea shows a gradual decrease in body size.The process peaking just before the extinction of the species at the end of the Late Pleistocene.The temporal trend of decreasing size particularly accelerating during MIS 2, as exemplified by the extremely small female Hair Accessories skull from Kryshtaleva Cave.

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