Panthera gombaszoegensis

''Panthera gombaszoegensis'', also known as the European jaguar, is a ''Panthera'' species that lived from about 2.0 to 0.3 million years ago in Europe, as well as likely elsewhere in Eurasia. The first fossils were excavated in 1938 in Gombasek Cave, Slovakia. ''P. gombaszoegensis'' was a medium-large sized species that formed an important part of the European carnivore guild for a period of over a million years. Many authors have posited that it is the ancestor of the American jaguar (''Panthera onca''), with some authors considering it the subspecies ''Panthera onca gombaszoegensis,'' though the close relationship between the two species has been questioned by some authors.

Taxonomy

''Leo gombaszoegensis'' was the scientific name proposed by Miklós Kretzoi in 1938 for teeth found in deposits in Gombasek Cave, Slovakia. The spelling of the species name is based on the Hungarian name of Gombasek, . It was reassessed and subordinated to the genus ''Panthera'' in 1971. The following are considered to belong to ''P. gombaszoegensis'' as well:

*''Panthera toscana'' proposed in 1949 for carnassial teeth found in Villafranchian deposits in the Val d'Arno in Italy. These remains were originally described as a distinct species and later as the subspecies ''Panthera gombaszoegensis toscana''. However, some argue ''P. g. toscana'' may not be a valid subspecies and is synonymous with ''P. g. gombaszoegensis''.
*''Felis (Panthera) schreuderi'' proposed in 1960 for cat fossils found in Tegelen, the Netherlands.
*''Jansofelis vaufreyi'' proposed in 1971 for cat fossils found in southeastern France.

Some remains once attributed to ''P. gombaszoegensis'' have more recently been identified as '' Acinonyx pardinensis''. Fossil remains found in Liaoning in northeast China, has been classified as ''P. g. jinpuensis''.

A 2022 study based on a relatively complete skull found in Belgium suggested that ''P. gombaszoegensis'' is more closely related to the tiger (''Panthera tigris'') than the jaguar.

Evolution

The ancestors of ''P. gombaszoegensis'' are thought to have arisen in Africa; a related form of ''Panthera'' was present in South Africa 1.9 Ma ago. Another form similar to ''P. gombaszoegensis'' has been found dating from early Pleistocene East Africa and had both lion- and tiger-like characteristics. ''P. gombaszoegensis'' arrived in Europe around 1.9 million years ago.

''P. gombaszoegensis'' was initially the only European Pantherinae species in the Early Pleistocene, being present alongside the felines '' Acinonyx pardinensis'' (sometimes referred to as the "giant cheetah") and '' Puma pardoides'' and the machairodontine sabertooth cats ''Homotherium latidens'' and ''Megantereon whitei''. Leopards arrived later in the Early Pleistocene or the Middle Pleistocene, and the large lion ''Panthera fossilis'' in the Middle Pleistocene. The extinction of ''P. gombaszoegensis'' around 330–300,000 years ago has been suggested to have been as a result of competition with lions and possibly archaic humans.

Description

The European jaguar was larger than the modern-day jaguar, with the later subspecies ''Panthera gombaszoegensis gombaszoegensis'' estimated to weigh in a 2001 study, with a large partial skeleton from the Middle Pleistocene Château Breccia in Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France estimated to weigh in a later 2011 study. The subspecies, ''P. g. jinpuensis'' was also large, with mandible dimensions suggesting it was as large as the largest modern male jaguars.

It was probably capable of bringing down larger prey than the living jaguar. It is thought to have been sexually dimorphic, with significantly larger males than females. While it was often asserted that its body size increased with time, this has been disputed, with other authors finding no evidence of a clear pattern of body size evolution through time. The morphology of the lower jaw in particular closely resembles that of the jaguar, though the morphology of the skull displays considerable differences. ''Panthera gombaszoegensis'' differs from the living jaguar in some dental characters, including having prominent vertical grooves on the upper canines (which are weak or absent in living jaguar) as well as differences in the robustness of the premolar teeth. The postcranial skeleton morphology has been described as leopard-like.

Distribution and habitat

''P. gombaszoegensis'' is primarily known from records in Europe, though rarer records have been reported from elsewhere, including Georgia Tajikistan, the Ubeidiya prehistoric site in Israel northern Saudi Arabia, Kromdraai fossil site in South Africa and Pakistan, northeast China, Java.

The European jaguar is thought to have lived foremost in forests, but recent work suggests that its association with forest was not as strong as has often been assumed.

Ecology

''Panthera gombaszoegensis'' is thought to have probably been a solitary hunter. A 2022 study suggested that based on its skull morphology, it was likely a generalist predator. Isotopic analysis of the ecosystem of Venta Micena in southern Spain, dating to the Early Pleistocene, suggests that at this locality the prey of ''P. gombaszoegensis'' predominantly included the giant deer '' Praemegaceros verticornis'' and the smaller deer '' Metacervocerus rhenanus.'' These prey are suggestive that ''P. gombaszoegensis'' inhabited forest at this locality. Analysis of specimens from Punta Lucero in northern Spain, dating to the early Middle Pleistocene, suggest at this locality at this locality ''Panthera gombaszoegensis'' was an apex predator that consumed large prey, with prey consumed likely including aurochs, bison, red deer, and/or the giant deer '' Praemegaceros.''

See also

*'' Panthera atrox''
*'' Panthera blytheae''
*'' Panthera palaeosinensis''
*'' Panthera shawi''
*''Panthera spelaea''
*'' Panthera zdanskyi''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1164873

Panthera
Pleistocene carnivorans
Pleistocene mammals of Europe
Pleistocene mammals of Africa
Middle Pleistocene
Prehistoric pantherines
Prehistoric mammals of Europe
Prehistoric mammals of Africa
Fossil taxa described in 1938
Pleistocene first appearances
Pleistocene extinctions