[Science] Big Cat Evolutionary Find

rimrocker · Jan 8, 2014

So, big cat fossils have only been found in Africa but scientists suspected big cats were older and originated in Asia. Now there's a fossil discovery that backs up that thinking.

Smithsonian scientist confirms missing link in big cat evolution

After years of sleuthing for clues about where and when pantherine felids ("big cats") originated, a Smithsonian scientist and an international team of researchers are one step closer to understanding the evolutionary history of these species. A fossil recently found in the Zanda Basin in Tibet included remains of Pantera blytheae, a new species of big cat that is most closely related to the modern day snow leopard. The skull of P. blytheae is the oldest big cat fossil found to date, and fills a significant gap in the fossil record. It indicates that ancient big cats lived nearly 6 million years ago, 2 million years earlier than previously thought, and sheds light on their geographic origins in Asia. Scientists plan to build on this research by studying how big cats evolved and adapted to changes in their environment over time to help inform modern day big cat conservation efforts. The research is published in the Jan. 7 issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

Graham Slater, a Peter Buck post-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, examined the remains of P. blytheae after its excavation, and helped confirm its status as a new species by conducting morphological and DNA analyses of the skull.

"P. blytheae is a missing link we've been searching for in the timeline of big cat evolution," said Slater. "Scientists are now closer to understanding the evolutionary origin of big cats and are gathering data about their habitat. The hope is that we can apply our knowledge of how P. blytheae adapted to environmental changes millions of years ago to predict the sustainability of snow leopard populations in existence today."

Ancient cat fossils are rare, making the nearly complete P. blytheae skull an incredibly valuable specimen. Before this discovery, the oldest known fossils of big cats indicated that they first appeared about 3.8 million years ago in Africa. However, DNA comparisons of modern species suggested that big cats evolved at least 6 million years ago in Asia. For the past decade, scientists have been searching for a way to explain these discrepancies. Thanks to the discovery of P. blytheae, researchers now have a critical piece of evolutionary evidence that reconciles the existing fossil and molecular data for big cats and helps tell the story of their evolution.

While the P. blytheae skull is helping scientists better understand when big cats first appeared, the search for even older fossils continues. Phylogenetic evidence suggests that the big cats subfamily, Pantherinae (e.g., lions, tigers, leopards), shared a common ancestor with their evolutionary cousins, Felinae (e.g., cougars, cheetahs, domestic cats), until about 10.8 million years ago when the two lines diverged. The research team plans to search for evidence of this ancestor as well as new big cat species in the Miocene rocks of central Asia, while continuing to add to their collection of P. blytheae specimens.

http://phys.org/news/2014-01-smithsonian-scientist-link-big-cat.html#jCp
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MoonDogg · Jan 8, 2014

CometsWin · Jan 8, 2014

A big cat creationist find should be right around the corner. Or not.

Yonkers · Jan 8, 2014

From Asia huh? Is it horizontal?

Mathloom · Jan 8, 2014

I always wonder whether it's possible we sometimes overanalyze fossils. For example, I wonder if this big cat could just be a gift from some African king to another king in Asia. Obviously I know very little about this, but I guess it is possible in some instances (maybe not this particular one) right?

KingCheetah · Jan 8, 2014

I TOTALLY CALLED THIS!!!

B-Bob · Jan 8, 2014

Mathloom said: ↑

I always wonder whether it's possible we sometimes overanalyze fossils. For example, I wonder if this big cat could just be a gift from some African king to another king in Asia. Obviously I know very little about this, but I guess it is possible in some instances (maybe not this particular one) right?
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In ancient times, giving someone a cat was an invitation to war. How I long for those simpler, more honest times.

Yonkers · Jan 8, 2014

Mathloom said: ↑

I always wonder whether it's possible we sometimes overanalyze fossils. For example, I wonder if this big cat could just be a gift from some African king to another king in Asia. Obviously I know very little about this, but I guess it is possible in some instances (maybe not this particular one) right?
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Well, 6 million years ago there wasn't even humans. Civilizations that would have kings would come way way later.

Dairy Ashford · Jan 8, 2014

For some reason I couldn't imagine animals migrating permanently, just seasonally as part of their instinct.

Yonkers · Jan 8, 2014

pouhe said: ↑

For some reason I couldn't imagine animals migrating permanently, just seasonally as part of their instinct.
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You're talking over a period of millions of years. Even if they move just 1 foot in any direction each year, they'll be in a different continent soon enough.

rocketsjudoka · Jan 9, 2014

Mathloom said: ↑

I always wonder whether it's possible we sometimes overanalyze fossils. For example, I wonder if this big cat could just be a gift from some African king to another king in Asia. Obviously I know very little about this, but I guess it is possible in some instances (maybe not this particular one) right?
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I hope this isn't a serious question.

rocketsjudoka · Jan 9, 2014

pouhe said: ↑

For some reason I couldn't imagine animals migrating permanently, just seasonally as part of their instinct.
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As Yonkers noted 5 million years is a long time. Also you have to consider the climate and other conditions aren't constant that time. The cats could've moved for a variety of reason.

Anyway as Rockets fans we already know where big cats come from.

R0ckets03 · Jan 9, 2014

The best sexiest cat ever!

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[Science] Big Cat Evolutionary Find

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