FIGURE 2. The 12 in Geographic and temporal variability in Pleistocene lion-like felids: Implications for their evolution and taxonomy

FIGURE 2. The 12 linear cranial characters measured on lion crania. 1: greatest cranial length (L, measured as the distance between the prosthion and the acrocranion), 2: palatal length (LP, measured parasagittally as the distance between the prosthion and the staphylion), 3: medial length of nasals (LMN, measured parasagittally as the distance between the naso-frontal suture and the dorsal margin of the external narial opening), 4: lateral length of nasals (LLN, measured as the distance between the naso-frontal suture and the anteriormost tip of the nasal), 5: greatest nasal width (BN, measured at rostral projection of nasals), 6: the snout width (BS, measured at the level of upper canines), 7: interorbital width (IOB, distance between orbits), 8: maximum cranial width across zygomatic arches (BZ), 9: width across postorbital constriction (POC), 10: greatest neurocranial width (BNC, greatest distance between lateral margins of braincase: euryon–euryon), 11: mastoid width (BM, measured across mastoid processes), and 12: greatest diameter of the auditory bullae (LAB). Cranium drawing modified according to Argant (1991).