Panthera gombaszoegensis


Panthera gombaszoegensis, also known as the European jaguar, is a Panthera species that lived about 1.95−1.77 million years ago in Europe. The first fossils were excavated in 1938 in Gombaszög, Slovakia.
More of its fossil remains were excavated from the Olivola site in Italy, while finds elsewhere in Italy were initially named Panthera toscana. Later fossils were found in England, Germany, Spain, France, and the Netherlands. Sometimes it is recognized as a subspecies of Panthera onca, the jaguar, as Panthera onca gombaszoegensis.

Description

European jaguars were larger than modern-day jaguars found in South America, such as Pantanal and Peruvian jaguars. With a bodyweight between 70 and 210 kg, they were therefore probably capable of bringing down larger prey. A form similar to Panthera gombaszoegensis has been found dating from early Pleistocene East Africa and had both lion- and tiger-like characteristics.

Taxonomy

Leo gombaszoegensis was the scientific name proposed by Miklós Kretzoi in 1938 for teeth found in Tertiary deposits in Gombaszög, Slovakia. It was re-assessed and subordinated to the genus Panthera in 1971. The following are considered to belong to P. gombaszoegensis as well:
The European jaguar has often been thought to be a forest-dwelling cat, similar in habits to the modern jaguar, although recent work suggests that the association between the European jaguar and forested habitats is not as strong as has often been assumed. It was probably a animal.