Acinonyx kurteni

The scientific name was assigned for the skull that was originally described to be that of an extinct species of cheetah, endemic to Asia during the Late Pliocene sub-epoch.

The technical give-away was that the parietal area appeared glued together from disparate bone pieces, to imitate the skull of a modern cheetah.

However, his objection to publication was denied in an editorial letter on 5 February 2009, on the grounds that Deng had not personally examined the fossil.

[6] Qiu Zhanxiang, a global expert in mammalian craniums, also supported the claim that the skull was forged.

[7] However, Mazák denied anyone else access to the fossil, and upon inquiry, the senior author, Christiansen, had never seen the original specimen.

Mazák finally conceded by stating (on 20 August 2012 in PNAS) that: “after further examination, it was determined that the fossil used in the study was a composite specimen from the late Miocene laterite and not from the early Pleistocene loess.