What is "panthera"

Panthera \Panthera\ prop. n. The genus of large felines including the lions; leopards; snow leopards; jaguars; tigers; cheetahs; and saber-toothed tigers.

Syn: genus Panthera.

Panthera is a genus within the Felidae family that was named and first described by the German naturalist Oken in 1816. The British taxonomist Pocock revised the classification of this genus in 1916 as comprising the species lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard on the basis of cranial features. Results of genetic analysis indicate that the snow leopard also belongs to the Panthera, a classification that was accepted by IUCN assessors in 2008.

Only the tiger, lion, leopard and jaguar have the anatomical structure that enables them to roar. The primary reason for this was formerly assumed to be the incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone. However, new studies show the ability to roar is due to other morphological features, especially of the larynx. The snow leopard does not roar. Although it has an incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone, it lacks the special morphology of the larynx.

Panthera may refer to:

• Panthera, a genus of big cats
• Pipistrel Panthera, an all composite, 4-seat aircraft developed by Slovenian light aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel
• Panthera Corporation, non-profit organization dedicated to wild cat conservation
• Black panther for the black (melanistic) color variant
• Panthera, the name of a soldier said by Celsus to be Jesus' real father and referred to in passages on Jesus in the Talmud and the Toledot Yeshu:
  • Tiberius Julius Abdes Pantera, a Roman soldier of the Cohors I Sagittariorum, speculatively linked to the story
  • Panthera, a poem by Thomas Hardy about the story
• Panthera AB, a Swedish wheelchair manufacturer