| Panthera onca mesembrina | |
|---|---|
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| Lost holotype skull of P. onca mesembrina | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Pantherinae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | †P. o. mesembrina
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| Trinomial name | |
| †Panthera onca mesembrina Cabrera, 1934
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| Synonyms | |
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Panthera onca mesembrina, also known as the Patagonian panther,[1] is an extinct subspecies of jaguar (Panthera onca) that was endemic to southern Patagonia during the late Pleistocene epoch. It is known from several fragmentary specimens, the first of which found was in 1899 at "Cueva del Milodon" in Chile. These fossils were referred to a new genus and species "Iemish listai" by naturalist Santiago Roth, who thought they might be the bones of the mythological iemisch of Tehuelche folklore. A later expedition recovered more bones, including the skull of a large male that was described in detail by Angel Cabrera in 1934. Cabrera created a new name for the giant felid remains, Panthera onca mesembrina, after realizing that its fossils were near-identical to modern jaguars’. P. onca mesembrina's validity is disputed, with some paleontologists suggesting that it is a synonym of Panthera atrox.
The bones of P. onca mesembrina are nearly double the size of the largest living jaguars (P. onca onca), and estimates place it at over 231 kilograms (509 lb) in weight. This would make it the largest jaguar and one of the heaviest known felids. Fragments of skin have been collected from "Cueva del Milodon", showing that it was dark red with lighter, yellowish stripes on its forelimbs. Cave paintings made by indigenous peoples possibly depicting the animal have been found in the El Ceibo, which features a red coat with stripes and spots. P. onca mesembrina was carnivorous and hunted a variety of large mammals, including the ground sloth Mylodon, horse Hippidion, and camelid Lama.