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American lion was 5 feet tall, 11.5 feet long and it weighed nearly 800 pounds.
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American lion is one of the largest cats that ever lived on the planet. It was 25% larger and much stronger than modern lions.
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American lion was slightly smaller than large, heavily built saber-toothed cat, but it was much smarter. This fact is based on the brain size and less fossils found in the obviously dangerous sites such as tar pits.
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Scientific name of American lion is "Panthera leo atrox", which means "cruel lion" in Latin.
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American lion is also known as "American cave lion" because it shares many genetic similarities with extinct Eurasian cave lion.
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Based on the cave paintings, American lion was probably mane-less and covered with dark spots. It had thick coat suitable for cold weather.
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American lion had 4-inches-long canine teeth (they were much larger in males), large, muscular body, very long, slender, but powerful front legs and retractable claws on the feet.
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American lion was a carnivore. Its diet was based on the horses, deer, camels, sloths, mammoths and bison.
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American lion was very fast animal. It was able to reach the speed of 30 miles per hour.
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American lion had used powerful forelimbs with sharp claws to subdue its prey, before inflicting deadly wounds on the muzzle or throat, by using its long canine teeth.
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Estimated bite force of American lion is 1.800 pounds per square inch, which is two times stronger than a bite force of modern lion.
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American lion was able to hunt alone and in pairs (to kill small animals), or in large groups (to kill large animals such as mammoths and bison).
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American lion had used cave, canyons and overhanging cliffs as shelter.
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American lion had no natural enemies. Major competitors for food were saber-toothed cat, dire wolf and giant short-faced bear.
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All facts about morphology, lifestyle and behavior of American lion are based on the more than 80 well-preserved fossils. The greatest collection of fossils originates from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.
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