Cheetah Acinonyx pardinensis (Felidae, Carnivora) from the Early Pleistocene of Crimea (Taurida Cave).

A mandible fragment of Acinonyx pardinensis (Croizet et Jobert, 1828) is described from the Early Pleistocene locality in the Taurida cave (Crimea, Late Villafranchian, about 1.8-1.5 Ma). This is the first discovery of the genus Acinonyx in the Pleistocene of Crimea. Along with other felids, such as Homotherium, Megantereon, Panthera, Lynx, and Puma, cheetahs were typical representatives of the Late Villafranchian faunas of Eurasia. In the Taurida locality, Acinonyx pardinensis is co-occurred with Homotherium crenatidens, Megantereon adroveri, and Lynx issiodorensis.