Panthera gombaszoegensis
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. The first fossils were excavated in 1938 in Gombasek, 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. With a body weight between , they were therefore probably capable of bringing down larger prey. Like other Panthera species, they are thought to have been sexually dimorphic, with significantly larger males. History The ancestors of jaguars 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 was initially the only European Pantherinae species in the Early Pleistocene, being present alongside the felines Acinonyx pardinensis and Puma pardoides and