Video Presentation: The Evolutionary Journey of Cats

Visuals throughout: Accompany each section with relevant images, illustrations, or

Presenter 1: Introduction & Early Origins

(0:00 - 0:45)

"Hello everyone, and welcome to our presentation on descent with modification, using the
fascinating evolutionary history of cats as our prime example. Cats, as we know them today,
are incredibly diverse, found in nearly every environment and continent, thriving as top
predators1. Their success is a testament to millions of years of evolutionary advantages2."

"The story of cats begins in the early Cenozoic Era. They belong to a larger group called
Carnivora, which includes all large mammalian land predators3. Carnivores themselves arose
from a group of tree-dwelling creatures called Carnivoromorpha, which evolved around 66
million years ago4. These early carnivoromorphs already possessed a key trait of modern
carnivores: carnassials, specialized teeth designed for consuming flesh5."

"Initially, it was thought that a superfamily within Carnivoromorpha, the Miacoidea, was the
direct ancestor of modern carnivorans6. This group included dog-like carnivores called
Miacids and civet-like carnivores known as Viverravidae7. Scientists once believed these two
groups were ancestral to the two major branches of modern carnivorans: Caniformia, which
includes dogs and bears, and Feliformia, which includes cats and hyenas8. Some
morphological similarities, like the greater number of teeth in miacids (like caniforms)
compared to viverravids (like feliforms), seemed to support this9."

Presenter 2: Divergence and Early Feliforms

(0:45 - 1:30)

"However, this theory about Miacoidea being the direct origin of the two major carnivoran
groups is now highly debated and not widely supported10. Today, Viverravidae is considered a
more basal group within Miacoidea, and the true branching point between dog and cat
lineages occurred later, during the Eocene epoch11."

"Early feliforms, the ancestors of today's cats, retained an arboreal, or tree-dwelling, lifestyle,
setting them apart from the more ground-dwelling Caniforms12. Feliforms also maintained a
more carnivorous diet, unlike some Caniforms, like bears, who adopted a more omnivorous
lifestyle13. Beyond these lifestyle differences, feliforms could also be distinguished
morphologically from caniforms by having shorter snouts, more specialized carnassial teeth,
and the presence of a double-chambered auditory bulla – bony capsules found within the
ear14."

"Feliformia consists of seven extant families today, with cats belonging to the family Felidae15.
Their closest living carnivore relatives are the Asiatic linsangs, members of the family
Prionodontidae16. These small animals offer us a good glimpse into what earlier felids might
have looked like17. The earliest known true cat was the late Oligocene genus,

Proailurus1818. Comparing

Proailurus to an Asiatic linsang reveals remarkable similarities: both had long, slender bodies
with proportionally longer tails than later cats, and both shared a tree-dwelling lifestyle1919."

Presenter 3: The "Cat Gap" and Pseudaelurus

(1:30 - 2:15)

"Following

Proailurus, there was a curious period known as the 'cat gap'2020. For about seven million
years after

Proailurus emerged, there's a significant lack of new felid fossils, a problem particularly
prominent in North America212121. What's more, many older feliforms on the continent, like the
Nimravids, showed a sharp decline22."

"Several theories attempt to explain this gap. One suggests an increase in hypercarnivorous
behavior and body size in some species, meaning that any decline in large prey would have
been extremely detrimental23. Habitat loss is also considered a valid reason24."

"An interesting, though debated, theory posits that during this time, dogs and their caniform
relatives began evolving cat-like characteristics, potentially taking the place of feliforms in
North America25. For example, some Miocene-era dogs had specialized elbows, making it
easier to pounce on prey, similar to cats26. However, scientists haven't yet found any direct
evidence of caniforms occupying former feliform niches during this gap, so this theory
remains shaky27."

"The cat gap eventually came to an end when

Pseudaelurus entered North America 18.5 million years ago28.

Pseudaelurus is believed to be a direct descendant of Proailurus, although given the time gap,
there were likely other genera connecting the two29. This cat, which could grow as large as a
puma, rapidly spread and diversified into many different branches30."

Presenter 4: Diversification of Felidae and Major Branches

(2:15 - 3:00)

"

Pseudaelurus is particularly notable for being ancestral to all modern cat groups, as well as
several extinct groups like the Machairodontinae31. This latter group is home to powerful
saber-toothed predators such as

Smilodon and Homotherium32. It's important to note that Machairodontinae wasn't the only
line of saber-toothed predators within Feliformia33. Other former groups, like the more basal
Nimravidae and the Barbourofelidae (a sister group even more closely related to felids than
linsangs), also included many false saber-toothed cats34."

"Now, we'll dive into the family Felidae itself, which evolved in Asia sometime during the
Miocene epoch35. Felids possess several key physical traits that contribute to their success as
predators: great eyesight and hearing, rough tongues to help extract meat, cushioned feet,
and, with the exception of a few species like the cheetah, retractable claws with sheaths to
protect them36. These adaptations have made them incredibly efficient predators and have
allowed them to outcompete many older branches of carnivorans in areas they migrated to,
such as North America37."

"Today, Felidae consists of two major branches that split off around 10 million years ago:
Pantherinae and Felinae38."

Presenter 5: Pantherinae and Felinae Lineages

(3:00 - 3:45)

"Let's start with Pantherinae. This branch includes two closely related genera:

Neofelis and Panthera, which diverged about 6.4 million years ago39. The

Neofelis genus contains the clouded leopard and the Sunda clouded leopard, both found in
Southeast Asia, known for their cloudy fur patterns and elongated canines, similar to those of
machairodonts40."

"

Panthera, on the other hand, contains what are colloquially known as the 'big cats'41. Our
understanding of Pantherine evolution is still a bit 'fuzzy.' The earliest member of

Panthera, the Miocene Panthera blytheae, shares more similarities with snow leopards than
with other big cats, suggesting that Panthera's evolution goes back even further42."

"Within

Panthera, the snow leopard and the tiger, along with close relatives like the Longdan tiger, are
sister groups43. The jaguar, lion, leopard, and extinct species like the American lion, cave lion,
and European jaguar, are more closely related to each other, having separated from the
former group by about 3.5 million years of evolution44. Most Pantherines share very similar
morphology and, with the exception of the snow leopard (due to shorter vocal folds), have the
ability to roar45."
"Now, for the second major branch of Felidae: Felinae46. This is the most widespread group of
cats alive today and is differentiated from Pantherines by their ability to purr, a trait also due
to their shorter vocal cords47. Felinae can be broken down into seven different lineages. The
first diverged 9.4 million years ago and includes the bay cat and Asian golden cat (

Catopuma), which split around five million years ago when Borneo was connected to the
nearby archipelago48. This lineage also includes the marbled cat (

Pardofelis), found from the Himalayas to Southeast Asian islands49."

"The second branch of Felinae diverged 8.5 million years ago and consists of several
medium-sized African and Asian cats, including the serval (

Leptailurus), caracal, and African golden cat50. The third lineage, which evolved eight million
years ago in North America and migrated to South America via the Panama land bridge
around three million years ago, contains numerous elusive South American cat species under
the genus

Leopardus5151. These include the Geoffroy's cat, tiger cats, kodkod, oncilla, pampas cat,
Andean mountain cat, ocelot, and margay, found in diverse biomes across Central and South
America525252."

"Fourth is the

Lynx genus, which split off 7.2 million years ago53. These cats, including the Eurasian lynx,
Iberian lynx, Canada lynx, and bobcat, also evolved in North America before spreading to
Eurasia54. They are now found in colder northern regions55."

"The fifth lineage, diverging 6.7 million years ago, contains cats often associated with big cats:
the cheetah (

Acinonyx) and the puma or cougar (Puma)56. This genus also includes the smaller jaguarundi (

Herpailurus), found in South and Central America57. While the puma and jaguarundi evolved in
North America, recent studies suggest cheetah ancestors also evolved there, later crossing
the Bering land bridge into Eurasia and Africa58. However, the genus
Acinonyx itself only evolved and spread throughout the Old World59. Extinct 'cheetahs' like the
American cheetah are more closely related to the puma than to modern cheetahs60."

"This journey through the feline family tree clearly demonstrates the concept of descent with
modification, showcasing how environmental pressures, geographical shifts, and genetic
variations have led to the incredible diversity of cats we see today."