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FAIRBANKS — Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Well not tigers but an ancient feline relative, the scimitar-toothed cat, short-face bear and American lion were the three largest predators in Alaska until the last ice age when they became extinct.

Now, an American lion skull found in Alaska will go on the auction block Dec. 7 in Los Angeles.

The skull was originally found by a miner in Alaska and has been in the possession of a private collector in St. Louis for some time, said Thomas Lindgren, co-director of natural history at the auction house Bonhams & Butterfields.

Lindgren said the skull has not been carbon dated, but guessed it was between 20,000 and 30,000 years old. The skull is estimated to sell for $35,000 to $45,000, but Lindgren said the amount is a midrange estimate. The sale of another Alaska lion skull garnered $90,000.

The majority of American lion fossils, including 80 skulls, have been found at the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, Lindgren said. Fossils that are discovered there become property of the Page Museum, which is located at the pits and specializes in fossils found there.

“There are not a lot in private collections,” he said.

Everything that is known about the American lion comes from research and findings at the tar pits, said Patrick Druckenmiller, curator of Earth sciences at the UA Museum of the North.

The American lion is a distant relative to the present-day African lion, and some believe the animals are the same species. Druckenmiller said the American lion roamed from as far as Florida and California to Alaska and Peru. The lion is considered “American” if found in the country. The lion had a small body and slender legs built for running. Some researchers say the American lion could have been 25 percent larger than the African lion, Druckenmiller said.

Both Lindgren and Druckenmiller said it is rare to find lion skulls in Alaska. Druckenmiller said that because the lion was a top predator and rarer than prey animals such as the steppe bison, there are fewer lion fossils as well. Fairbanks’ most famous steppe bison, the 36,000-year-old Blue Babe, was thought to have been killed by a lion.

Druckenmiller also said there is evidence a similar large feline species lived in Asia and Europe. Cave drawings of cave cats, thought to be the same species as the American lion, showed the animal had a slight mane, a thick coat and vertical stripes.

Much is unknown about the American lion, including what it looked like and if it had the same tendency as modern-day lions to be social.

There is evidence ancient people interacted with the lion. Lindgren said some human fossils have evidence that the two interacted, and Druckenmiller said lion fossils and refuge were found together at a cave deposit in Idaho.

“If you were living 15,000 years ago, you would definitely be on guard,” Druckenmiller said.

Druckenmiller said he has heard of three or four relatively complete American lion skulls found in Alaska. Fossil fragments have been found in or around Fairbanks, and Druckenmiller said there might be more underground.

The problem with private collections of natural science artifacts is that some collectors do not allow scientific study on the items. If the owner does not wish to share it with researchers, Druckenmiller said it will become a lost piece of Alaska history.

“They’re rarer than gold, each one is unique and potentially has a lot to say,” Druckenmiller said of Alaska lion skulls.

The December auction has 900 pieces and is one of three natural science auctions Bonhams & Butterfields hosts each year. Lindgren said he has seen more sellers and buyers show interest in the auction throughout the years.

Other Alaska items at the auction include a set of gold nuggets found at Poker Creek in Dawson City and a 112-inch woolly mammoth tusk.