Since Hoagland first did the split of the "Face on Mars", the feline side has always been considered to be a male African lion. With the new image of the "Face" the feline characteristics are even more apparent. The features of the feline "Face" when mirrored are composed of a square shaped head with a crown, a mane, squinting eyes, an ornamented nose, an almost circular muzzle, and a mouth with fangs (figure 1). The Feline's forehead is large and features a squared off geometric crown that extends across the top of the head. The crown also has a lot of faint decorative qualities in and around it's crest that are difficult to substantiate at this point. The half portion of this "Crown" feature was also spotted by Dr. Tom Van Flandern and referred to as the "Crest" in his in-depth analysis of the unmirrored "Face". The "mane" feature is located in the wave-like ridges that are found around the lower portion of the neck forming a "beard-like" effect. From the times of the Olmec, and the cultures that followed, many of their kings and gods had small growths around the neck area that are classified as remnants of "beards" by archaeologists. Notice the small beard on this Maya glyph of the Bearded Jaguar God (figure 2a. ) and also on this second glyph of a bearded jaguar (figure 2.b). Since facial hair is not an attribute of either the indigenous Mesoamericans nor the Negroid Africans or Asians, where did this idea originate? Many researchers attribute these beards to be of a Semitic influence and surmise an ancient link between the "Old" and "New Worlds". They believe the beards on the glyphs and various faces of gods, were meant to mimic the beards of these Semitic people.

    Like the Olmec and many other Mesoamerican cultures, the Egyptians also wore false beards, as can be seen in the death mask of Tutankhamun. It is thought that the Egyptians used the false beards to mimic these same Semitic kings (such as the Sumerians). Mesoamerica had it's own lion in the form of the jaguar. It would be reasonable to assume that the Olmec would have regarded the jaguar as the New World's equivalent of the lion. Since the jaguar does not have a mane it would also be reasonable to assume that the ancient Olmec would have regarded the lion, with it's full mane, as a "bearded jaguar". In the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City there is a large Aztec reliquary that is carved in the shape of a full "jaguar" (figure 3). This amazing sculpture which weighs over six tons was unearthed at Templo Mayor in Mexico City way back in 1790. The most intriguing characteristics of this so-called jaguar sculpture is that it has no spots, which a jaguar does, and it has a mane, which a jaguar does no. Note; that the partial mane on this reliquary is similar in size and shape to the "mane" feature found on the Feline side of the "Face". The mythology of the Jaguar God is associated with the Maya god archeologists call GIII, who is human in aspect and has jaguar features including a "beard".