Research overview: mitochondrial genomes of the cave lion

This overview surveys the recovery and analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes from cave lion fossils, which have helped pin down the position of Panthera spelaea within the lion radiation. Mitogenomic studies demonstrated that the cave lion belonged to a lineage distinct from modern lions, diverging well before the last glacial period, and clarified its close relationship to the American lion. The survey reviews how these analyses date the split between cave and modern lions, document genetic structure among cave lion populations across their range, and provide a framework later expanded by nuclear genome studies. It discusses the methodological advances in extracting ancient DNA from Pleistocene material and why mitogenomes became an early workhorse for resolving the affinities of extinct big cats.