Felidae
From Freepedia
- For the novel by Akif Pirinçci, see Felidae (novel).
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Felinae |
Cats are members of the family Felidae. They are the most strictly carnivorous of the nine families in the order Carnivora. The first felids emerged during the Eocene, about 40 million years ago. The most familiar feline is the domestic cat, which first became associated with humans between 7000 and 4000 years ago. Its wild relatives still live in Africa and western Asia, although habitat destruction has restricted their range.
Other well-known members of the cat family include big cats such as the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, and cheetah (which despite its size, appears to be descended from the small cats), and other wild cats such as the lynx, puma, and bobcat. All cats, the small domestic cat included, are superpredators capable of destroying almost any creature smaller than themselves.
There are 36 known species of cats in the world today. They all share a genetic anomaly that prevents them from tasting sweetness [1].
The cats' closest relatives are thought to be the civets, hyenas, and mongooses.
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Classification
- Subfamily Felinae
- Genus Felis
- Wild Cat, Felis silvestris
- Domestic Cat, Felis silvestris catus
- Sand Cat, Felis margarita
- Jungle Cat, Felis chaus
- Black-footed Cat, Felis nigripes
- Chinese Desert Cat, Felis bieti
- Wild Cat, Felis silvestris
- Genus Otocolobus
- Pallas Cat, Otocolobus manul
- Genus Catopuma
- Asiatic Golden Cat, Catopuma temminckii
- Bay Cat, Catopuma badia
- Genus Profelis
- African Golden Cat, Profelis aurata
- Genus Prionailurus
- Leopard Cat, Prionailurus bengalensis
- Fishing Cat, Prionailurus viverrinus
- Flat-headed Cat, Prionailurus planiceps
- Rusty-spotted Cat, Prionailurus rubiginosus
- Genus Lynx
- Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx
- Spanish Lynx, Lynx pardinus
- Canadian Lynx, Lynx canadensis
- Bobcat, Lynx rufus
- Genus Caracal
- Caracal, Caracal caracal
- Genus Leptailurus
- Serval, Leptailurus serval
- Genus Herpailurus
- Jaguarundi, Herpailurus yaguarondi
- Genus Oncifelis
- Pampas Cat, Oncifelis colocolo
- Geoffroy's Cat, Oncifelis geoffroyi
- Kodkod, Oncifelis guigna
- Genus Oreailurus
- Andean Cat, Oreailurus jacobita
- Genus Leopardus
- Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis
- Margay, Leopardus wiedii
- Little Spotted Cat, Leopardus tigrinus
- Genus Puma
- Puma, Puma concolor
- Genus Felis
- Subfamily Pantherinae
- Genus Pardofelis
- Marbled Cat, Pardofelis marmorata
- Genus Neofelis
- Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa
- Genus Uncia
- Snow Leopard, Uncia uncia
- Genus Panthera
- Genus Pardofelis
- Subfamily Acinonychinae
Lynx is probably a member of Pantherinae instead of Felinae.
Alternative classification
Genetic research gives a very different classification for the cat family.
Lineage 1: Panthera, Uncia, Neofelis
Lineage 2: Lynx, Pardofelis
Lineage 3: Puma, Herpailurus, Acinonyx (possibly), Catopuma (possibly)
Lineage 4: Leptailurus, Caracal, Profelis
Lineage 5: Leopardus, Oncifelis, Oreailurus
Lineage 6: Felis, Otocolobus
Lineage 7: Prionailurus
Fossil cats
The oldest known felines (Aelurogale, Eofelis) emerged in the Eocene. Better known is Proailurus, which lived in the Oligocene and Miocene eras. During the Miocene it gave way to Pseudaelurus. Pseudaelurus is believed to be the latest common ancestor of the three above-mentioned subfamilies and another subfamily, the Machairodontinae. This group, better known as the sabertooth cats, became extinct in the early Pleistocene era. It includes the genera Smilodon, Machairodus, Dinofelis and Homotherium.
References
- Mammal Species of The World
- Taxonomic and Legal Status of the Felidae
- National Center for Biotechnology Information
- ITIS Report
