THE FIRST RADIOCARBON-DATED REMAINS OF THE LEOPARD PANTHERA PARDUS (LINNAEUS, 1758) FROM THE PLEISTOCENE OF POLAND

The Pleistocene history of the leopard (Panthera pardus) in Europe has been documented by the material obtained from 312 localities, with the last dated similar to 1.1 Myr. The relatively small and gracile form of the leopard was very rare during the late Early and Middle Pleistocene. Only after the disappearance of the jaguar (Panthera gombaszoegensis) did P. pardus spread widely in Europe, increasing in size and ecologically substituting P. gombaszoegensis. The number of late Middle Pleistocene localities with leopard remains, younger than 300 kyr, increased considerably. The leopard reached the maximum extension of its geographical range in the Late Pleistocene. The Iberian Peninsula was the last European refuge for this cat. Six sites, the Naciekowa, Obok Wschodniej, Radochowska, and Wschodnia Caves from the Sudety Mountains and the Bisnik and Dziadowa Skala Caves from the Krakow-Czestochowa Upland, have documented the presence of the leopard in Poland between MIS 10/9 and MIS 3. These records are from rocky regions with rugged terrain and are located in the territory of Silesia (southern Poland). A newly obtained radiocarbon date (43-42 kyr) from the Radochowska Cave directly confirms the occurrence of P. pardus in the Sudety Mountains in the middle part of MIS 3.

Automated summary

The Pleistocene history of leopards in Europe has been traced back to approximately 1.1 million years ago. Leopards were relatively uncommon during the early and middle Pleistocene, and only spread widely in Europe after the extinction of jaguars. They reached their maximum geographic range during the late Pleistocene, with the Iberian Peninsula serving as their last refuge in Europe. The presence of leopards has also been documented in several caves in Poland, particularly in rocky regions in the southern part of the country.