Feline evolution

Question 1

taxonomy of the cat

Answer 1

kingdom-animalia
phylum-chordata
class-mammalia
order-carnivora
family-felidae
subfamily-felinae
genus-felis
species-catus

Question 2

what species belong in the cat branch

Answer 2

-cats
-civets
-mongooses
-hyenas

Question 3

what is the branch for cats called

Answer 3

feliformia

Question 4

what are the subfamilies for the family felidae

Answer 4

-felinae
-pantherinae

Question 5

what lives in the felinae subfamily

Answer 5

“small” cats including lynx, bobcat, ocelots, pumas, cheetah, wild cats, and the domestic cat

Question 6

what lives in the pantherinae sub family

Answer 6

leopards, lions, and tigers

Question 7

how long did ancestral and extant felids arise

Answer 7

-anc: 20-8 mya
-ex: arose form a common ancestor ~10-11 mya

Question 8

proaliurus

Answer 8

-25 mya
-first felid like animal in the fossil record

Question 9

pseudaelurus

Answer 9

-20-8mya
-ancestral to:
extant cats
extant panters
extinct cats (sabre toothed)

Question 10

where did cats originate

Answer 10

SE asia (11mya)

Question 11

why were cheetahs thought to be in a different subfamily at one point

Answer 11

-previously was considered a different subfamily but now considered felinae
-grouped in the puma lineage
-the claws on the cheetah remain out and add to its ability to make sharp turns and bends when running at a great speed
-in all other cats claws retract

Question 12

why to pantherinae roar

Answer 12

-the hyoid bone is connected to the base of the tongue and the larynx
-in roaring cats part in cartilage
-in all other cats, it is bone
-snow leopards are the only panther that do not roar
-they also have different vocal cords (square for roaring and triangle for others)
-this bone possibly causes purring in other cats

Question 13

lynx canadensis- Canadian lynx

Answer 13

-weighs 13.5-29kg
-tufted ears and short tail
-diet of mainly snowshoe hare

Question 14

lynx rufus- bobcat

Answer 14

-weighs 7-16kg
-tufted ears and bobtail
-diet: more varied, includes snowshoe hare, insects, birds, small rodents

Question 15

cougar

Answer 15

-weighs 45-60kg
-largest felinae
-long tail
-mountains of north, central, and south america

Question 16

some common cat breeds and the order if origin

Answer 16

-bob cat and lynx 7.2 mya then split 3.2 mya
-cougar 6.7mya
-european/african wild cat 4.2 mya
-domestic cat

Question 17

felis silvestris (wildcat)

Answer 17

-two subspecies (european and caucasian wildcat)
-about 1/3 larger than a feral domestic cat
-weigh 5-15kg
-head/body length 55-70cm
-tail 30cm

Question 18

where do domestic cats possibly come from

Answer 18

african wild cat

Question 19

felis catus- the domestic cat

Answer 19

-the only domesticated species of the family felidae
-still debate about which felis subspecies is the closest ancestor (felis silvestris, felis lybica)
-could be both?

Question 20

why is there so much debate as to where the cat came from

Answer 20

-fossil record
-morphology of wild cats and domestic cats are simular
-some studies focus only on microsatellite DNA
-other studies include mitochondrial DNA
-and all subspecies continue to interbreed