Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Felidae
Homotherium—Scimitar Cat // Miracinonyx sp.—American Cheetah-like Cats // Miracinonyx trumani—American Cheetah-like Cat // Lynx—Bobcat // Panthera—Roaring Cats // Puma—Cougar // Smilodon—Sabertooth Cats // Xenosmilus—Strange Cats
As a group, the cats are highly carnivorous, taking almost no plant material. This carnivory is revealed in part by the highly sectorial nature of the teeth, lacking the crushing features seen, for example, in the canids. All are relatively short-snouted and with the carnassial teeth close to the jaw articulation; this configuration confers power to both the front of the jaw and to the carnassial region. Tooth reduction has gone further in this family than in other carnivores (to 28 or 30 teeth total).
The living felids (and probably extinct forms as well) are stealth hunters, either stalking their prey or lying in ambush until the prey is close enough for a lunge or for a short chase. In line with these tactics, most modern species have spots or stripes that tend to blend into the background and to break up the outline of the animal. None is adapted for long term cursorial activity. Division of prey among the different modern taxa is largely on the basis of size.
The Felidae has long been abused by taxonomic splitters and lumpers. Some recent workers have recognized as many as 18 modern genera, while others have recognized as few as two. We will follow Wozencraft (2005), with five modern genera occurring within our region in addition to four extinct genera.
Re-examination of the single specimen (a damaged astragalus) of small felid from the Sabertooth Camel Maze site (not mapped) indicates that it is too small for Lynx, so appears to indicate presence of a smaller, unidentified felid.
Sites.
Early/Early Mid-Wisconsin: Sabertooth Camel Maze (Harris 1993c: as Lynx ?).
Literature.
Harris 1993c; Wozencraft 2005.
Kurtén and Anderson (1980:190) describe the dentition as follows:
In this genus, the sabers are relatively short, very flattened and recurved (like a scimitar) and have razor-sharp, serrated edges fore and aft. The other teeth also have serrated edges. The incisors are disposed in a curve. The carnassials are thin slicing blades.
Sites.
Late Blancan: 111 Ranch (Morgan and White 2005).
Literature.
Kurtén and Anderson 1980; Morgan and White 2005.
Synonyms. Acinonyx.
The cheetah-like cats apparently were specialized for a cursorial mode of life, similar to that of the true, African Cheetah (Kurtén and Anderson 1980).
Sites.
Late Blancan: 111 Ranch (Morgan and White 2005).
Literature.
Kurtén and Anderson 1980; Morgan and White 2005.
Synonyms. Acinonyx trumani, Felis trumani, Puma trumani.
Orr (1969) described this species on the basis of a late Wisconsin (19,750 ± 650 ka) skull from Crypt Cave, NV, as Felis trumani. Adams (1979) placed the New World cheetah-like cats in the Old World genus Acinonyx, represented by A. jubatus (Cheetah), but in a new subgenus, Miracinonyx. On the basis of new material, Van Valkenburgh et al. (1990) elevated Miracinonyx to the generic level. Ancient DNA data (Barnett et al. 2005) confirms Puma concolor as the sister species of M. trumani rather than A. jubatus.
"[Miracinonyx] is distinguished from other cats mainly by characters related to a highly cursorial mode of predation, most clearly reflected in the extremely elongated and slim limb bones, light body, and small head ...." (Kurtén and Anderson 1980:193).
There is one late Wisconsin record of the American Cheetah in our region. The material on which this record is based hasn't been published.
Sites.
Late Wisconsin: Muskox Cave (Logan 1981).
Literature.
Adams 1979; Barnett et al. 2005; Kurtén and Anderson 1980; Logan 1981; Orr 1969; Van Valkenburgh et al. 1990.
Last Update: 11 Mar 2013