European leopard
European leopards lived in Europe from about 1.2–0.6 million years ago until around 12,000 years ago, and possibly a bit later into the early Holocene. Fossils have been found from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus, showing a long presence across the continent. Scientists have described various fossil forms and debated whether Europe once hosted a separate leopard population from living Asian leopards. Some DNA studies suggest a distinct European lineage, while others find close links to Asian leopard lineages in different areas.
These leopards were generally medium to large in size, with males bigger than females. They were larger during the cold glacial periods and tend to have skulls similar in shape to those of some living leopard subspecies. Leopard remains and cave sites show they used caves for shelter, breeding, and resting. The richest fossil find in Europe comes from the Equi cave in northern Italy, with about 200 leopard bones and several skulls. The Chauvet Cave in France even has a famous ancient leopard painting dating to around 25,000–37,000 years ago.
Geographically, the northern limit of the European leopard during the Last Glacial Period was near Berlin. In colder times they lived mainly in mountains and boreal forests, and they were less common in lowland grasslands. Leopards in Europe sometimes shared caves with other animals, and larger caves were often used by bigger predators or people. Their prey likely included animals similar to those modern snow leopards eat, such as ibex, deer, and wild boar, and they may have scavenged from bear dens at times. By about 24,000 years ago, many parts of Europe had lost their leopards.
Today, leopard-like cats still exist on Europe’s edge in the North Caucasus, but the classic European leopard is extinct. The last European leopards vanished from most areas long before the end of the Ice Age, making room for other mammals that dominated the European landscapes.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 11:05 (CET).