Rosie Galvez
Cats evolved approximately ten million years ago alongside humans who have evolved six million years ago. Approximately 10.8 million years ago, the panther-like ancestors of cats appeared first in Southeast Asia and became fossils. Without DNA studies, it was impossible to track and study the evolution of cats because all of the ancestors of cats became fossils.
DNA studies and the technologies of genetics has helped a lot in the discoveries of the evolutionary journey of cats.
Researchers have used a "molecular clock analysis" that exactly shows how long ago the species have diverged from one another. The ancestors of the modern domestic cat were the last to appear approximately 3.4 million years ago.
Evolution is the process of gradual development. The researchers have observed that as the sea levels rose and fell it affected the migration of cats. When the sea levels were low the cats tend to migrate more to different continents and when the sea levels were high it caused the isolation of cats. That's how the new species of cats developed because of the rising and falling of the sea levels.
Miacid
It lived 60 million years ago. It was a carnivore. All the carnivores are thought to be evolved from Miacid. It was a short-legged and long-bodied animal.
Dinictis
It was the first descended of Miacid and it resembles the most with the modern cat. It had cat-like incisor teeth.
Proailurus
It lived 30 million years ago. It can claim the title of the first true cat. It is the first known member of the Felidae family that includes all the cats (big, small, living, extinct).
Pseudaelurus
It lived approximately 20 million years ago. It was a short-legged animal and it had a slender like body.
Approximately 6 to 10 million years ago Pseudaelurus evolved and branched into 4 subfamilies which are explained below
An example is smilodon extinct
Pantherinea family: it consists of modern-day cats (lion, tiger, leopard)
Felinae family: it consists of small domestic cats
Aciniychinae family: it consists modern-day cheetah
Species
The living cats (feline family) are divided into 37 different species around the world that are listed below with their examples
Lion
Example: Panthera leo
Leopard
Example: Panthera pardus
Jaguar
Example: Panthera onca
Tiger
Example: Panthera tigris
Snow leopard
Example: Panthera uncia
Clouded leopard
Example: Neofelis nebulosa
Bornean clouded leopard
Example: Neofelis diardi
Asian golden cat
Example: Pardofelis temmincki
Bornean bay cat
Example: Pardofelis badia
Marbled cat
Example: Pardofelis marmorata
Caracal
Example: Caracal caracal
African golden cat
Example: Caracal aurata
Serval
Example: Caracal serval
Geoffroy’s cat
Example: Leopardus geoffroyi
Kodkod
Example: Leopardus guigna
Tigrina
Example: Leopardus tigrinus
Andean mountain cat
Example: Leopardus jacobita
Pampas cat
Example: Leopardus colocolo
Margay
Example: Leopardus wiedii
Ocelot
Example: Leopardus pardalis
Iberian lynx
Example: Lynx pardina
Eurasian lynx
Example: Lynx lynx
Canada lynx
Example: Lynx canadensis
Bobcat
Example: Lynx rufus
Puma
Example: Puma concolor
Jaguarundi
Example: Puma yaguarondi
Cheetah
Example: Acinonyx jubatus
Asian leopard cat
Example: Prionailurus bengalensis
Fishing cat
Example: Prionailurus viverrina
Flat-headed cat
Example: Prionailurus planiceps
Rusty-spotted cat
Example: Prionailurus rubiginosus
Pallas’s cat
Example: Otocolobus manul
Domestic cat
Example: Felis catus
Wildcat
Example: Felis silvestris
Sand cat
Example: Felis margarita
Black-footed cat
Example: Felis nigripes
Jungle cat
Example: Felis chaus
In 1997, Warren E. Johnson and Stephan O'Brien researched on 37 living species of cats or Feline family and divided them into 8 lineages
This lineage has large to medium-sized cats weighing approximately 15 to 150 kilograms. They are the most dominant cats around the world. They are mostly called wild or roaring cats. They have an incomplete ossified hyoid bone that allows them to roar but two species of this lineage are not able to roar (Bornean clouded leopard and clouded leopard). Lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard are included in this lineage
The cats of this lineage are of medium size ranging from 5 to 25 kilograms. They are restricted to Africa. They were typically considered as a group before the genetic analysis made by some researchers
The cats of this lineage are poorly known. Before the proper research, it was not considered as a separate group by the taxonomists. The cats of this group range in size from small to medium weighing from 2 to 16 kilograms. The species of this group are restricted to the habitat of forests in Southeast Asia
The cats of this lineage have sizes ranging from small to medium size (1.5 to 16 kilograms). They have a broad range of habitats but they are mostly populated in Central and South America. It has different chromosome number from other members of the Felidae family (i.e it has 36 number of chromosome while other species have 38)
Read more about the Evolution of Cats
