The last Iberian record of Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ): Osteometry and historical implications of the lynx from Sima Topinoria (Cantabria,Spain)

Abstract

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) was historically native to the Iberian Peninsula, as evidenced by scarce paleontological records and rare sightings across northern Spain, dating from the Last Glacial Maximum until the 17th century. A nearly complete skeleton of a medium-sized felid, morphologically identified as Lynx lynx, was recently recovered from Sima Topinoria in Picos de Europa (Cantabria, Spain). The present study analyzes the full skeletal assemblage, establishing its chronological framework, taxonomic identification, and comparative cranial and dental metrics with other ancient and modern lynxes. Radiocarbon dating estimates the specimen at around 210 years BP, representing the most recent confirmed occurrence in the Iberian Peninsula. This evidence revises the accepted timeline for the species’ extirpation, indicating persistence into the early 19th century, and connecting physical evidence with historical narratives. Morphometric analyses identify the individual as an adult male with an estimated body mass of 19.7 kg. Comparative osteometry shows the specimen plots with modern males from Central Europe, albeit smaller than earlier Holocene males from the Iberian Peninsula, compatible with a progressive proto-historic body size reduction. These results redefine the Eurasian lynx’s historical range collapse in southwestern Europe, suggesting that the species survived until recent times, coinciding with periods of intense anthropogenic landscape change. The study highlights the critical role of paleontological data in refining extinction chronologies and contributes valuable insights into the biogeographic history of this elusive feline in Western Europe.