First record of Felidae (Mammalia, Carnivora) cubs from the late Pleistocene (Sopas Formation) in northern Uruguay

Felidae are an important component in the environments they inhabit. Because of their role as top predators, they are indicators of the trophic health of an ecosystem and biodiversity. Moreover, young individuals represent the logical generational replacement for any established population, in order to ensure the viability of such a population over time. The fossil record of Felidae in Uruguay is relatively scarce but informative, whereas all fossil felids reported to date belong to adult specimens. In the present contribution, according to osteological, dental, and morphometric comparisons, two new mandible remains assigned to an 8-month-old <i>Leopardus pardalis</i> and a 40-50 days to 5-month-old <i>Panthera onca</i> are described. These materials come from the Sopas Formation (late Pleistocene, Lujanian Stage/Age) from northern Uruguay. Based on these findings, which turn out to be the first fossil record of juvenile stages of these felids in the country, its palaeobiological and palaeoecological implications are discussed.