30,000-Year-Old Fossils Reveal the “American Cheetah” Was Actually More Like a Puma

For 30,000 years, a fossilized animal known as Miracinonyx trumani, or the "American cheetah," was thought to resemble an African cheetah with long limbs and a slender frame. However, recent genetic analysis has revealed that M. trumani was more closely related to the modern puma. The discovery was made possible by studying four fossils collected from the Yukon, with one of the samples originating from Wyoming.

The "American cheetah" was roughly 8 feet long and stood about 3 feet tall, weighing around 150 pounds. Its large nasal cavities may have allowed it to breathe more efficiently while running. Researchers studied ancient DNA from Wyoming and three Yukon fossils, finding that the Yukon cats ate mostly fish. This unusual diet was detected through chemical traces in the fossils, which resembled those found in fish-eating species like orcas and coastal wolves.

The "American cheetah" was more adaptable than its name suggested, living from the subtropics to the Arctic during the Ice Age. Its similar body structure to modern pumas evolved independently as each lineage adapted to its environment. The cat's internal clock genes no longer functioned, likely enabling it to survive the Arctic's extremes of daylight and darkness. Ultimately, M. trumani disappeared as the last ice age ended and the climate warmed.