The Evolution of Cats

By lexiaguila
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    DOMESTIC CAT ANCESTOR

    DOMESTIC CAT ANCESTOR
    Domestic cat ancestor (3.4 Million Years Ago).
    Also known as the Felis lineage, the domestic cats consist of cats weighing one to ten kilograms and derived from North America. Afterwards, they migrated to different continents such as Europe and Africa. The only species that is distributed worldwide from the Felis lineage is the domestic cat itself.
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    LEOPARD CAT ANCESTOR

    LEOPARD CAT ANCESTOR
    Leopard cat ancestor (6.2 Million Years Ago).
    This lineage contains five species that are currently mostly spread across South and Central Asia. The Asian leopard cat is widely known as the most common tiny cat in Asia. All of its species are considered to be quite small, ranging from two to twelve kilograms in weight.
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    PUMA ANCESTOR

    PUMA ANCESTOR
    Puma ancestor (6.7 Million Years Ago).
    In the present time, three main species derived from this lineage are the cheetah, puma, and jaguarundi. They are widely spread across four continents. These cats are considered as a "diverse species" due to the fact that small jaguarundi and big African cheetahs are in the same category, despite their size difference.
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    LYNX ANCESTOR

    LYNX ANCESTOR
    Lynx ancestor (7.2 Million Years Ago).
    These species have tufted ears as well as short tails which make them distinctive as a species. Two species of the lynx lineage emerged in North America and the two succeeding species developed in certain parts of Eurasia. An example of this would be a bobcat. Aside from the Iberian lynx, they are used for their fur.
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    OCELOT ANCESTOR

    OCELOT ANCESTOR
    Ocelot ancestor (8 Million Years Ago).
    They originated from North America but then migrated to South America due to the sea levels decreasing in height. Nowadays, they live in many areas in Central and South America and they have 36 chromosomes, which is a unique characteristic of this lineage due to the fact that the other species have 38 chromosomes.
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    CARACAL ANCESTOR

    CARACAL ANCESTOR
    Caracal ancestor (8.5 Million Years Ago).
    The next lineage, the Caracal ancestor, appeared in Asia but then migrated to Africa and stayed there. They can be easily distinguished compared to the other lineages. An example would be a serval cat.
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    BAY CAT ANCESTOR

    BAY CAT ANCESTOR
    Bay cat ancestor (9.4 Million Years Ago).
    This was the succeeding lineage of cats that emerged, following the Panthera ancestor. All its following species developed within South East Asia. These species were limited to stay in certain forest ecosystems. Sadly, they aren't as widely known as compared to the domestic cats and panthera lineages. An example would be an Asian golden cat.
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    PANTHERA ANCESTOR

    PANTHERA ANCESTOR
    Panthera Ancestor (10.8 Million Years Ago).
    This is the oldest lineage of cats, and its successors developed into seven various species that spread across many continents which include Asia, North and South America, Europe, and Africa. They are usually the most powerful predators in most of the places they inhibit. Some examples of species under this lineage are the tiger, lion, and jaguar.