Parailurus anglicus

Parailurus anglicus was first described by William Boyd Dawkins in 1888, who originally called it Ailurus anglicus. The species was found at the Red Crag in East Anglia.{{Cite journal |last=Dawkins |first=William Boyd |author-link=William Boyd Dawkins |date=1888-02-01 |title=On Ailurus anglicus, a new Carnivore from the Red Crag |url=https://www.lyellcollection.org/doi/abs/10.1144/GSL.JGS.1888.044.01-04.20 |journal=Journal of the Geological Society |publisher=Geological Society of London |volume=44 |issue=1–4 |pages=228–231|doi=10.1144/GSL.JGS.1888.044.01-04.20 }} Max Schlosser reclassified the species' genus as Parailurus in 1899, following a study of a more complete specimen's dentition from the Baróth-Köpecz locality.{{Cite journal |last=Schlosser |first=Max |author-link=Max Schlosser (zoologist) |title=Parailurus anglicus és Ursus Böckhi a baroth-köpeczi lignitből, Háromszék vármegyében |journal=Magyar Állami Földtani Intézet évkönyve |publisher=Franklin-Társulat Könyvnyomdája |volume=28 |pages=67}}{{Cite book |last=Kurtén |first=Björn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dEMrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA118 |title=Pleistocene mammals of Europe |publisher=Transaction Publishers |year=1968 |pages=118|isbn=978-1-351-49948-4 }}

Tivadar Kormos described a new species of Parailurus called Parailurus hungaricus in 1939, this species is now a junior synonym for Parailurus anglicus.{{Cite journal |last1=Lawrence |first1=Steven C. |last2=Lyon |first2=Lauren M. |date=2022-11-05 |title=Systematic revision of the Ailurinae (Mammalia: Carnivora: Ailuridae): with a new species from North America |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780128237533000119 |journal=Red Panda |publisher=Academic Press |pages=31–52 |via=Elsevier Science Direct}} Parailurus anglicus was the first species described in the genus Parailurus. The other two species, P. baikalicus and P. tedfordi, were described in 2008 and 2022 respectively.{{Cite journal |last=Sotnikova |first=Marina Vladimirovna |date=2008-01-30 |title=A new species of lesser panda Parailurus (Mammalia, Carnivora) from the Pliocene of Transbaikalia (Russia) and some aspects of ailurine phylogeny |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11492-008-1015-x |journal=Paleontological Journal |publisher=MAIK Nauka/Interperiodica |volume=42 |pages=90–99|doi=10.1007/s11492-008-1015-x |url-access=subscription }}

The place of Parailurus anglicus and Ailurids overall in the evolutionary tree has been debated. They were first placed in the family Procyonidae in the early 20th century for the raccoon's similarity with the red panda. Newer genetic studies in 2005, 2018 and 2021 have placed the Ailurid family in the clade Musteloidea, which includes Procyonidae, Mustelidae (weasels, minks and relatives) and Mephitidae (skunks and stink badgers).{{Cite journal |author1=Flynn, J. J. |author2=Finarelli, J. A. |author3=Zehr, S. |author4=Hsu, J. |author5=Nedbal, M. A. |name-list-style=amp |year=2005 |title=Molecular phylogeny of the Carnivora (Mammalia): Assessing the impact of increased sampling on resolving enigmatic relationships |journal=Systematic Biology |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=317–337 |doi=10.1080/10635150590923326 |pmid=16012099 |doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal |author1=Law, C. J. |author2=Slater, G. J. |author3=Mehta, R. S. |name-list-style=amp |date=2018 |title=Lineage Diversity and Size Disparity in Musteloidea: Testing Patterns of Adaptive Radiation Using Molecular and Fossil-Based Methods |journal=Systematic Biology |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=127–144 |doi=10.1093/sysbio/syx047 |pmid=28472434 |doi-access=free}}{{cite journal |author1=Hassanin, A. |author2=Veron, G. |author3=Ropiquet, A. |author4=van Vuuren, B. J. |author5=Lécu, A. |author6=Goodman, S. M. |author7=Haider, J. |author8=Nguyen, T. T. |year=2021 |title=Evolutionary history of Carnivora (Mammalia, Laurasiatheria) inferred from mitochondrial genomes |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=16 |issue=2 |page=e0240770 |bibcode=2021PLoSO..1640770H |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0240770 |pmc=7886153 |pmid=33591975 |doi-access=free}}

File:Parailurus anglicus size.jpg

Because the English panda has been only described by fragmentary remains, its appearance hasn't been well-documented. Other Ailurids provide the general idea of what the English panda looked like. Dawkins' specimen was a "battered and worn down" part of the right lower jaw, not giving much information of the appearance of English panda.

A reconstruction by the Czech artist Oldřich Kroupa represented it as extremely similar to the red panda, though with darker and dull fur.{{Cite web |last=Kroupa |first=Oldřich |title=Parailurus |url=http://www.biologus.eu/Parailurus.htm |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=Biologus}} Parailurus anglicus was twice the size of a red panda, and probably lived in a similar environment to that of the red panda.

The English panda had a much rather distinct dentition when compared to other ailurids. It has a pretty unusual upper fourth premolar, with greater antoposterior length than transverse width.{{Cite journal |last1=Sasagawa |first1=Ichiro |last2=Takahashi |first2=Keiichi |last3=Sakumoto |first3=Tatsuya |last4=Nagamori |first4=Hideaki |last5=Hideo |first5=Yabe |last6=Kobayashi |first6=Iwao |date=2003-12-01 |title=Discovery of the Extinct Red Panda Parailurus (Mammalia, Carnivora) in Japan |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |publisher=Taylor & Francis Group |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=895–900|doi=10.1671/2441-14 }} Its teeth suggest it was an omnivorous animal.{{Cite web |last=Arment |first=Chad |year=2003 |title=The Lesser Pandas |url=https://www.zoocreation.com/the-lesser-pandas |access-date=2024-11-16 |website=ZooCreation |publication-place=Darke County, Ohio}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://twilightbeasts.org/2015/01/14/a-very-english-panda/ A Very English Panda]

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Category:Mammals described in 1888

Category:Extinct mammals of Europe

Category:Prehistoric carnivorans of Europe

Category:Ailuridae