The extinct American 'cheetah' was not a cheetah after all
With their slender bodies and long front legs, Miracinonyx trumani—often nicknamed the "American cheetah"—was long thought to be a North American analog of the African big cat. But in a new study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers reveal that the extinct cat was more closely related to pumas. Some populations living near the Arctic preyed almost exclusively on fish, challenging…
The American cheetah, known as Miracinonyx trumani, was not a true cheetah, according to a study published in Current Biology. This extinct North American predator was closely related to modern pumas, not cheetahs, sharing a common ancestor about 4.7 million years ago. Unlike the cheetah, M. trumani had a more varied diet, which included fish in the Arctic, while some Wyoming populations preyed on herbivores.
Researchers found that the American cheetah had high adaptability, surviving in diverse environments from subtropics to the Arctic. Its adaptation may have been due to the loss of genes involved in circadian rhythm regulation, hinting at a possible nocturnal lifestyle at high latitudes.
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