Panthera gombaszoegensis

Last updated

Panthera gombaszoegensis
Temporal range: Early Pleistocene – Middle Pleistocene
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
↓
De vroeg-pleistocene sabeltandkat, Homotherium crenatidens (2008) Panthera onca gombaszoegensis.png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Species:
†P. gombaszoegensis
Binomial name
†Panthera gombaszoegensis
(Kretzoi, 1938)
Synonyms
  • Leo gombaszoegensisKretzoi, 1938
  • Panthera toscanaSchaub, 1949
  • Panthera schreuderiKoenigswald, 1960
  • Jansofelis vaufreyiBonifay, 1971

Panthera gombaszoegensis, also known as the European jaguar, is a Panthera species that lived from about 2.0 to 0.35 million years ago in Europe, as well as likely elsewhere in Eurasia. [1] The first fossils were excavated in 1938 in Gombasek Cave, Slovakia. [2] 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, [3] though the close relationship between the two species has been questioned by some authors. [4]

Contents

Taxonomy

Leo gombaszoegensis was the scientific name proposed by Miklós Kretzoi in 1938 for teeth found in deposits in Gombasek Cave, Slovakia. [2] The spelling of the species name is based on the Hungarian name of Gombasek, Gombaszög. It was reassessed and subordinated to the genus Panthera in 1971. The following are considered to belong to P. gombaszoegensis as well: [5] [6] [7]

Some remains once attributed to P. gombaszoegensis have more recently been identified as Acinonyx pardinensis . [13]

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. [4]

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. [10] Another form similar to P. gombaszoegensis has been found dating from early Pleistocene East Africa and had both lion- and tiger-like characteristics. [14] P. gombaszoegensis arrived in Europe around 1.9 million years ago. [15]

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") [13] and Puma pardoides and the machairodontine sabertooth cats Homotherium latidens and Megantereon whitei. [16] Leopards arrived later in the Early Pleistocene [16] or the Middle Pleistocene, [1] and the large lion Panthera fossilis in the Middle Pleistocene. [1] The extinction of P. gombaszoegensis around 330–300,000 years ago has been suggested to have been as a result of competition with lions. [15]

Description

Skull, Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze Panthera toscana.JPG
Skull, Museo di Storia Naturale di Firenze

The European jaguar was larger than the modern-day jaguar, [14] [17] with the later subspecies Panthera gombaszoegensis gombaszoegensis estimated to weigh 90–120 kilograms (200–260 lb) in a 2001 study, with a large partial skeleton from the Middle Pleistocene Château Breccia in Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France estimated to weigh 130 kilograms (290 lb) in a later 2011 study. [10] 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. [1] The morphology of the lower jaw in particular closely resembles that of the jaguar, [18] [4] though the morphology of the skull displays considerable differences. [4] 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. [19] The postcranial skeleton morphology has been described as leopard-like. [18]

Distribution and habitat

Mandible, Natural History Museum Rotterdam Panthera schreuderi.JPG
Mandible, Natural History Museum Rotterdam

P. gombaszoegensis is primarily known from records in Europe, [19] though rarer records have been reported from elsewhere, including the Caucasus (Georgia), [19] Central Asia (Tajikistan). [19] [20] , the Levant (the Ubeidiya site in Israel) [21] the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia), [22] Southern Africa (the Kromdraai site in South Africa [19] ), South Asia (Pakistan) [19] and Southeast Asia (Java). [23]

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. [24]

Ecology

Panthera gombaszoegensis is thought to have probably been a solitary hunter. [25] A 2022 study suggested that based on its skull morphology, it was likely a generalist predator. [4] 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, as well as the smaller deer Metacervocerus rhenanus. [25] [26] These prey are suggestive that P. gombaszoegensis inhabited forest at this locality. [25] 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. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felidae</span> Family of mammals

Felidae is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar</span> Large cat native to the Americas

The jaguar is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus Panthera that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to 1.85 m and a weight of up to 158 kg (348 lb), it is the biggest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world. Its distinctively marked coat features pale yellow to tan colored fur covered by spots that transition to rosettes on the sides, although a melanistic black coat appears in some individuals. The jaguar's powerful bite allows it to pierce the carapaces of turtles and tortoises, and to employ an unusual killing method: it bites directly through the skull of mammalian prey between the ears to deliver a fatal blow to the brain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopard</span> Large spotted cat native to Africa and Asia

The leopard is one of the five extant cat species in the genus Panthera. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of 92–183 cm (36–72 in) with a 66–102 cm (26–40 in) long tail and a shoulder height of 60–70 cm (24–28 in). Males typically weigh 30.9–72 kg (68–159 lb), and females 20.5–43 kg (45–95 lb).

Panthera is a genus within the family Felidae, and one of two extant genera in the subfamily Pantherinae. It contains the largest living members of the cat family. There are five living species: the jaguar, leopard, lion, snow leopard and tiger, as well as a number of extinct species, including the cave lion and American lion.

<i>Smilodon</i> Extinct genus of saber-toothed cat

Smilodon is an extinct genus of felids. It is one of the best known saber-toothed predators and prehistoric mammals. Although commonly known as the saber-toothed tiger, it was not closely related to the tiger or other modern cats, belonging to the extinct subfamily Machairodontinae, with an estimated date of divergence from the ancestor of living cats around 20 million years ago. Smilodon was one of the last surviving machairodonts alongside Homotherium. Smilodon lived in the Americas during the Pleistocene epoch. The genus was named in 1842 based on fossils from Brazil; the generic name means "scalpel" or "two-edged knife" combined with "tooth". Three species are recognized today: S. gracilis, S. fatalis, and S. populator. The two latter species were probably descended from S. gracilis, which itself probably evolved from Megantereon. The hundreds of specimens obtained from the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles constitute the largest collection of Smilodon fossils.

<i>Panthera spelaea</i> Extinct species of lion

Panthera spelaea, commonly known as the cave lion, is an extinct Panthera species that was native to Eurasia and northwest North America during the Pleistocene epoch. Genetic analysis of ancient DNA has revealed that while closely related, it was a distinct species genetically isolated from the modern lion, with the genetic divergence between the two species estimated at around 500,000 years ago. The earliest fossils of the P. spelaea lineage in Eurasia date to around 700,000 years ago. It is closely related and probably ancestral to the American lion. The species ranged from Western Europe to eastern Beringia in North America, and was a prominent member of the mammoth steppe fauna, and an important apex predator across its range. It became extinct about 13,000 years ago. It closely resembled living lions with a coat of yellowish-grey fur though unlike extant lions, males appear to have lacked manes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American lion</span> Extinct species of carnivore

The American lion, with the species name meaning "savage" or "cruel", also called the North American lion) is an extinct pantherine cat native to North America during the Late Pleistocene from around 130,000 to 12,800 years ago. Genetic evidence suggests that its closest living relative is the lion, with the American lion representing an offshoot from the lineage of the largely Eurasian cave lion, from which it is suggested to have split around 165,000 years ago. Its fossils have been found across North America, from Canada to Mexico. It was about 25% larger than the modern lion, making it one of the largest known felids to ever exist, and an important apex predator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pantherinae</span> Subfamily of felids

The Pantherinae is a subfamily of the Felidae; it was named and first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1917 as only including the Panthera species, but later also came to include the clouded leopards. The Pantherinae genetically diverged from a common ancestor between 9.32 to 4.47 million years ago and 10.67 to 3.76 million years ago.

<i>Megantereon</i> Extinct genus of saber-toothed cat from North America, Eurasia and Africa

Megantereon is an extinct genus of prehistoric machairodontine saber-toothed cat that lived in Eurasia, Africa and possibly North America from the late Pliocene to the Middle Pleistocene. It is a member of the tribe Smilodontini, and closely related to and possibly the ancestor of the famous American sabertooth Smilodon. In comparison to Smilodon it was somewhat smaller, around the size of a jaguar, though it is thought to have had a similar hunting strategy as an ambush predator.

<i>Pachycrocuta</i> Genus of mammals (fossil)

Pachycrocuta is an extinct genus of prehistoric hyenas. The largest and most well-researched species is Pachycrocuta brevirostris, colloquially known as the giant short-faced hyena as it stood about 90–100 cm (35–39 in) at the shoulder and it is estimated to have averaged 110 kg (240 lb) in weight, approaching the size of a lioness, making it the largest known hyena. Pachycrocuta first appeared during the late Miocene. By 800,000 years ago, it became locally extinct in Europe, with it surviving in East Asia until at least 500,000 years ago, and possibly later elsewhere in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of lions in Europe</span> Lions in prehistoric and historic Europe

The history of lions in Europe is part of the wider history of the lion species complex. The rediscovery and confirmation of their presence in Europe, already known by myths, historical accounts and ancient art, was made possible by the finds of fossils of Pleistocene, Holocene and Ancient lions excavated in Europe since the early 19th century. The first excavated lion fossil was found in southern Germany, and described by Georg August Goldfuss using the scientific name Felis spelaea. It probably dates to the Würm glaciation, and is 191,000 to 57,000 years old. Since then, older lion skull fragments were excavated in Germany and in other parts of Europe, including in Western Europe. Some of them were described by Wilhelm von Reichenau under Felis fossilis in 1906.

<i>Panthera fossilis</i> Fossil cat

Panthera fossilis is an extinct species of cat belonging to the genus Panthera, known from remains found in Eurasia spanning the Middle Pleistocene and possibly into the Early Pleistocene.

<i>Panthera onca mesembrina</i> Extinct subspecies of carnivore

Panthera onca mesembrina, also known as the Patagonian panther, is an extinct subspecies of jaguar that was endemic to southern Patagonia during the late Pleistocene epoch. It is known from several fragmentary specimens, the first of which found was in 1899 at "Cueva del Milodon" in Chile. These fossils were referred to a new genus and species "Iemish listai" by naturalist Santiago Roth, who thought they might be the bones of the mythological iemisch of Tehuelche folklore. A later expedition recovered more bones, including the skull of a large male that was described in detail by Angel Cabrera in 1934. Cabrera created a new name for the giant felid remains, Panthera onca mesembrina, after realizing that its fossils were near-identical to modern jaguars’. P. onca mesembrina's validity is disputed, with some paleontologists suggesting that it is a synonym of Panthera atrox.

<i>Panthera onca augusta</i> Extinct subspecies of jaguar

Panthera onca augusta is an extinct subspecies of the jaguar that was endemic to North America during the Last Glacial Maximum of the Pleistocene epoch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petralona Cave</span> Cave and archeological site in Petralona, Chalkidiki, Greece

The Petralona Cave a karst formation, is located at 300 m (984 ft) above sea-level on the western foot of Mount Katsika, about 1 km (0.62 mi) east of the village of Petralona, about 35 km (22 mi) south-east of Thessaloniki city on the Chalkidiki peninsula, Greece. The site came to public attention when in 1960 a fossilized archaic human skull was found. The cave had been discovered accidentally only a year earlier (1959) after erosion had left clefts in the rock. "Bejeweled" with impressive stalactite and stalagmite formations and holding an abundance of fossils, the cave soon attracted geologists and paleontologists. After decades of excavations the cave is open to the public and scientific work is documented and presented in an adjacent archaeological museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European leopard</span> Pleistocene leopard subspecies

Leopards have a long history in Europe, spanning from the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition, around 1.2-0.6 million years ago, until the end of the Late Pleistocene, around 12,000 years ago, and possibly later into the early Holocene. Remains of leopards have been found across Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus.

Panthera tigris soloensis, known as the Ngandong tiger, is an extinct subspecies of the modern tiger species. It inhabited the Sundaland region of Indonesia during the Pleistocene epoch.

<i>Praemegaceros</i> Extinct genus of deer

Praemegaceros is an extinct genus of deer, known from the Pleistocene and Holocene of Western Eurasia. Praemegaceros is considered to be a genus of "giant deer", with many species having an estimated body mass of around 400 kilograms (880 lb), considerably larger than most living deer.

Sivapanthera is a prehistoric genus of felid described by Kretzoi in 1929. Species of Sivapanthera are closely related to the modern cheetah but differ from modern cheetahs by having relatively longer brain cases, flatter foreheads, narrower nostrils and larger teeth. In many ways, skulls of Sivapanthera show similarity to that of the puma, or even those of Panthera. Scholars differ on the validity of this genus, while some think that it should be treated as a distinct genus, others think that its members should be treated as members of the Acinonyx genus, or even as subspecies of Acinonyx pardinensis.

Miopanthera is an extinct genus of Pseudaelurus-grade felids.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Marciszak, A. (2014). "Presence of Panthera gombaszoegensis (Kretzoi, 1938) in the late Middle Pleistocene of Biśnik Cave, Poland, with an overview of Eurasian jaguar size variability". Quaternary International. 326–327: 105–113. Bibcode:2014QuInt.326..105M. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2013.12.029.
  2. 1 2 Kretzoi, M. (1938). "Die Raubtiere von Gombaszög nebst einer Ubersicht der Gesamtfauna" [The predators of Gombaszög together with an overview of the overall fauna](PDF). Annales historico-naturales Musei nationalis hungarici (in German). 31: 88–157.
  3. ↑ Hemmer, H.; Kahlke, R.-D. (2005). "Nachweis des Jaguars (Panthera onca gombaszoegensis) aus dem späten Unter- oder frühen Mittelpleistozän der Niederlande". Deinsea, Annual of the Natural History Museum Rotterdam: 47–57.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Chatar, N.; Michaud, M.; Fischer, V. (2022). "Not a jaguar after all? Phylogenetic affinities and morphology of the Pleistocene felid Panthera gombaszoegensis" (PDF). Papers in Palaeontology. 8 (5). Bibcode:2022PPal....8E1464C. doi:10.1002/spp2.1464. S2CID   252489047.
  5. ↑ Hemmer, H. (1971). "Zur Charakterisierung und stratigraphischen Bedeutung von Panthera gombaszoegensis (Kretzoi, 1938)". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte. 12: 701–711.
  6. ↑ Hemmer, H. (1972). "Zur systematischen Stellung von "Jansofelis vaufreyi" Bonifay, 1971, und "Felis lunellensis" Bonifay, 1971, aus dem Pleistozän Südfrankreichs (Carnivora, Felidae)". Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie, Monatshefte: 215–223.
  7. ↑ O'Regan, H.; Turner, A. (2004). "Biostratigraphic & palaeoecological implications of new fossil felid material from the Plio-Pleistocene site of Tegelen, the Netherlands". Palaeontology. 47 (5): 1181–1193. Bibcode:2004Palgy..47.1181O. doi: 10.1111/j.0031-0239.2004.00400.x . S2CID   85114506.
  8. ↑ Schaub, S. (1949). "Révision de quelques Carnassiers villafranchiens du niveau des Etouaires (Montagne de Perrier, Puy-de-dôme)". Eclogae Geologicae Helvetiae. 42 (2): 492–506.
  9. ↑ Turner, A.; Anton, M. (1997). The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives: An Illustrated Guide to Their Evolution and Natural History. Columbia University Press. ISBN   9780231102285.
  10. 1 2 3 Argant, A.; Argant, J. (2011). "The Panthera gombaszogensis story: the contribution of the Château Breccia (Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France)". Quaternaire (Hors-serie 4): 247–269.
  11. ↑ Von Koenigswald, G. H. R. (1960). "Fossil cats from the Tegelen clay". Publicaties van het Natuurhistorisch Genootschap in Limburg. 12: 19–27.
  12. ↑ Bonifay, M. F. (1971). Carnivores Quarternaires du Sud-Est de la France. Nouvelle série C. Vol. 31. Paris: Mémoires du Muséum National d´Histoire Naturelle. p. 377.
  13. 1 2 Cherin, M.; Iurino, D.A.; Zanatta, M.; Fernandez, V.; Paciaroni, A.; Petrillo, C.; Rettori, R.; Sardella, R. (2018). "Synchrotron radiation reveals the identity of the large felid from Monte Argentario (Early Pleistocene, Italy)". Scientific Reports . 8 (1): 8338. Bibcode:2018NatSR...8.8338C. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26698-6 . PMC   5974229 . PMID   29844540.
  14. 1 2 Mol, D.; Van Logchem, W.; De Vos, J. (2011). "New record of the European jaguar, Panthera onca gombaszoegensis (Kretzoi, 1938), from the Plio-Pleistocene of Langenboom (The Netherlands)". Cainozoic Research. 8 (1–2): 35–40.
  15. 1 2 Marciszak, A.; Lipecki, G. (2022). "Panthera gombaszoegensis (Kretzoi, 1938) from Poland in the scope of the species evolution". Quaternary International. 633: 36–51. Bibcode:2022QuInt.633...36M. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2021.07.002.
  16. 1 2 Rodríguez, J.; Mateos, A. (2018). "Carrying capacity, carnivoran richness and hominin survival in Europe". Journal of Human Evolution. 118: 72–88. Bibcode:2018JHumE.118...72R. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.01.004 . PMID   29606204.
  17. ↑ Seymour, K.L. (1989). "Panthera onca" (PDF). Mammalian Species (340): 1–9. doi:10.2307/3504096. JSTOR   3504096. S2CID   253932256.
  18. 1 2 Madurell-Malapeira, Joan; Prat-Vericat, Maria; Bartolini-Lucenti, Saverio; Faggi, Andrea; Fidalgo, Darío; Marciszak, Adrian; Rook, Lorenzo (September 2024). "A Review on the Latest Early Pleistocene Carnivoran Guild from the Vallparadís Section (NE Iberia)". Quaternary. 7 (3): 40. Bibcode:2024Quat....7...40M. doi: 10.3390/quat7030040 . ISSN   2571-550X.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jiangzuo, Qigao; Liu, Jinyi (August 2020). "First record of the Eurasian jaguar in southern Asia and a review of dental differences between pantherine cats". Journal of Quaternary Science. 35 (6): 817–830. Bibcode:2020JQS....35..817J. doi:10.1002/jqs.3222. ISSN   0267-8179.
  20. ↑ Sotnikova, M.V.; Vislobokova, I.A. "Pleistocene mammals from Lakhuti, southern Tajikistan, USSR". Quatärpaläontologie. 8: 237–244.
  21. ↑ Martínez-Navarro, B.; Belmaker, M.; Bar-Yosef, O. (2009). "The large carnivores from 'Ubeidiya (early Pleistocene, Israel): biochronological and biogeographical implications". Journal of Human Evolution . 56 (5): 514–524. Bibcode:2009JHumE..56..514M. doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2009.02.004. PMID   19427671.
  22. ↑ Stimpson, C.M.; Breeze, P.S.; Clark-Balzan, L.; Groucutt, H.S.; Jennings, R.; Parton, A.; Scerri, E.; White, T.S.; Petraglia, M.D. (2015). "Stratified Pleistocene vertebrates with a new record of a jaguar-sized pantherine (Panthera cf. gombaszogensis) from northern Saudi Arabia". Quaternary International . 382: 168–180. Bibcode:2015QuInt.382..168S. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.09.049.
  23. ↑ Sherani, Shaheer; Sherani, Maryam (2024-10-06). "Did Panthera gombaszogensis reach the Sunda shelf?". Historical Biology: 1–7. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2408607. ISSN   0891-2963.
  24. ↑ O'Regan, H.J.; Turner, A.; Wilkinson, D.M. (2002). "European Quaternary refugia: a factor in large carnivore extinction?" (PDF). Journal of Quaternary Science. 17 (8): 789–795. Bibcode:2002JQS....17..789O. doi:10.1002/jqs.693. S2CID   130275622. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-08-21. Retrieved 2006-07-02.
  25. 1 2 3 Palmqvist, P.; Perez-Claros, J. A.; Janis, C. M.; Figueirido, B.; Torregrosa, V.; Grocke, D. R. (2008-11-01). "Biogeochemical and Ecomorphological Inferences On Prey Selection and Resource Partitioning Among Mammalian Carnivores In An Early Pleistocene Community". PALAIOS. 23 (11): 724–737. Bibcode:2008Palai..23..724P. doi:10.2110/palo.2007.p07-073r. ISSN   0883-1351.
  26. ↑ Mateos, Ana; Hölzchen, Ericson; Rodríguez, Jesús (January 2024). "Sabretooths, giant hyenas, and hominins: Shifts in the niche of Early Pleistocene scavengers in Iberia at the Epivillafranchian-Galerian transition". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 634: 111926. Bibcode:2024PPP...63411926M. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111926.
  27. ↑ Domingo, Laura; Rodríguez-Gómez, Guillermo; Libano, Iñaki; Gómez-Olivencia, Asier (August 2017). "New insights into the Middle Pleistocene paleoecology and paleoenvironment of the Northern Iberian Peninsula (Punta Lucero Quarry site, Biscay): A combined approach using mammalian stable isotope analysis and trophic resource availability modeling". Quaternary Science Reviews . 169: 243–262. Bibcode:2017QSRv..169..243D. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.06.008 – via Elsevier Science Direct.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.