Felidae

Felidae[1]
Temporal range:
Oligocene–Present, 25–0 Ma
TigerCanada lynxServalPumaFishing catAsian golden catOcelotEuropean wildcat
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Superfamily: Feloidea
Family: Felidae
Fischer von Waldheim, 1817
Type genus
Felis
Subfamilies
Felidae ranges

Felidae is a family of mammals, in the order Carnivora. Animals that belong to Felidae are called felids.

The family is of quite recent origin: the first fossils are from the Oligocene, 25 million years ago (mya). There are 41 living species, including the domestic cat, and they are monophyletic: all descended from the same ancestor.[3]

Characteristics

Felids tend to have lithe and flexible bodies with muscular limbs. In most species, the tail is a third or a half the length of the body, with some exceptions (the bobcat and margay). The limbs are digitigrade, meaning they walk on their toes. The paws have three soft toe pads and retractible claws (usually).[1] The tongue of felids is covered with horny papillae, which rasp meat from prey and aid in grooming.

Classification

Domestic cat purring and meowing
Lion roaring

The Felidae has three subfamilies:

More examples of felines are the big cats – the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, clouded leopard, puma, and cheetah - and other wild cats, for example the lynx, caracal, and bobcat. All felines, also the small pet cat, are predators that can hunt many animals.

Evolution

The felids evolved in Asia and spread across continents by crossing land bridges. DNA sequence analysis shows that ancient cats evolved into eight main lines. There were at least 10 migrations (in both directions) from continent to continent via the Bering land bridge and Isthmus of Panama. The Panthera genus is the oldest and the Felis genus is the youngest. 60 percent of the modern species of cats developed within the last million years.[4]

The felids' closest relatives are the linsangs,[5] and at one remove the group of civets, hyenas, mongooses, and Madagascar carnivores,[6] with whom they share the Suborder Feliformia. All felid species share a genetic anomaly that prevents them from tasting sweetness.[7]

Genetic classification

Genetic research has provided a basis for a more concise classification for the living members of the cat family based on genotypical groupings.[1][8][9] Specifically, eight genetic lineages have been identified:[10]

The last four lineages (5, 6, 7, 8) are more related to each other than to any of the first four (1, 2, 3, 4), and so form a clade within the Felinae subfamily of family Felidae.

Taxonomy

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Felidae.
Wikispecies has information on: Felidae.
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Felidae". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–548. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  2. ↑ McKenna, Malcolm C.; Bell, Susan K.; Simpson, George Gaylord (2000). "Family Felidae Fischer de Waldheim, 1817:372. Cats". Classification of Mammals. Columbia University Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-231-11013-6.
  3. ↑ Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference. JHU Press. p. 532. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4.
  4. ↑ Mott, Maryann (2006-01-11). "Cats climb new family tree". National Geographic News. Retrieved 2006-07-15.
  5. ↑ Eizirik E. et al 2010. Pattern and timing of the diversification of the mammalian order Carnivora inferred from multiple nuclear gene sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56: 49-63. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.033
  6. ↑ Gaubert P. & Veron G. 2003. Exhaustive sample set among Viverridae reveals the sister-group of felids: the linsangs as a case of extreme morphological convergence within Feliformia. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B 270 (1532): 2523–30. doi:10.1098/rspb.2003.2521
  7. ↑ Xia, Li; et al. (July 2005). "Pseudogenization of a sweet-receptor gene accounts for cats' indifference toward sugar". Public Library of Science. 1 (1): 27–35. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.0010003. PMC 1183522. PMID 16103917.
  8. ↑ Johnson WE, Eizirik E, Pecon-Slattery J; et al. (January 2006). "The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment". Science. 311 (5757): 73–7. Bibcode:2006Sci...311...73J. doi:10.1126/science.1122277. PMID 16400146. S2CID 41672825.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ O'Brien SJ, Johnson WE (2005). "Big cat genomics". Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet. 6 (1): 407–29. doi:10.1146/annurev.genom.6.080604.162151. PMID 16124868.
  10. ↑ Johnson, W. E.; & O'Brien S. J. (1997). Phylogenetic reconstruction of the Felidae using 16S rRNA and NADH-5 mitochondrial genes. J Mol Evol (1997) 44: S98-116. Retrieved on 2009-11-08 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9071018?dopt=Abstract.