science

Panthera shawi

Panthera shawi is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Panthera shawi rather than just read about it. In short: Panthera shawi is an extinct prehistoric big cat, of which a single canine tooth was excavated in Sterkfontein cave in South Africa by Robert Broom in the 1940s. It is thought to be one of the oldest known Panthera species in Africa.

Key takeaways

Panthera shawi belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Panthera shawi to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Panthera shawi from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Panthera shawi is an extinct prehistoric big cat, of which a single canine tooth was excavated in Sterkfontein cave in South Africa by Robert Broom in the 1940s. It is thought to be one of the oldest known Panthera species in Africa.

Taxonomy The original and holotype specimen, a single upper canine tooth from the Bolt's Farm locality, was described by Broom in 1948 as a new species named Felis shawi in honour of Professor Shaw. Further material assigned to the species was recovered from the Kromdraai A and Swartkraans Member 2 localities. It was later considered a subspecies Panthera leo as Panthera leo shawi by some authors. The few remnants of the massive P. shawi from the Early Pleistocene sites in South Africa that have been examined thus far metrically and morphologically resemble M. leo in the majority of features, but they do not actually represent lions, supporting their original descriptions and defending their own species status. The bridge between P. leo and P. shawi facilitates the interpretation of modern lion variability. However, its absolute size exceeds that of extant lions and is significantly surpassed by a specimen from the North American Late Pleistocene.

Description The canine tooth is considerably larger and thicker at the base than that of a modern lion. The tooth crown measures 31 mm × 24 mm (1.22 in × 0.94 in) at the base and is 67.5 mm (2.66 in) long.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Panthera shawi

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Panthera shawi claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Panthera shawi before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Panthera shawi ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Panthera shawi

In research: Panthera shawi appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Panthera shawi in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Panthera shawi is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Fossil taxa described in 1948, Fossils of South Africa, Panthera, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Panthera shawi outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Panthera shawi in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Panthera shawi means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Panthera shawi out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Panthera shawi in simple terms?

Why does Panthera shawi matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Panthera shawi?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Panthera shawi.