Closely related to the modern African lion, the American lion was the largest member of the cat family found in the asphalt deposits. Its enormous size just begins to shed light on the nature of this extinct predator. Like modern felines, the American lion had a tail that was about as long as its torso-roughly four feet. The tail was used to help maintain balance and direction while chasing down its prey, especially in the open ground like prehistoric Rancho La Brea.

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