Proailurus and a Brief History of Felidae

Ghedo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsGhedo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Possibly one of the most important events in Earth’s history happened about 34 million years ago: the evolution of the ancestor to Felidae. Its name was Proailururs. Proailurus lived in the subtropical forested landscape present in Europe during this time period and were about the same size as modern-day bobcats. Within their habitat range in Late Oligocene/Miocene Europe, there were three main species of the genus Proailurus: P. lemanensis, P. bour-bonnensis, and P. major.

The Proailurus successfully lived as the origin species for all of Felidae until about 18-20 MYA, when the genus split into two separate genera: Pseudaelurus and Styriofelis. Pseudaelurus gave rise to the saber-toothed cats such as the well-known Smilodon. Styriofelis is the ancestor of conical-toothed cats or all non-saber-toothed felids. However, during the late Pleistocene North and South American extinction events, the reign of the saber-toothed cats was ended, allowing more space in the food chain for the conical-toothed cats not as affected by this extinction event. For one saber-toothed species, the Smilodon, the late Pleistocene brought increased global temperatures and, therefore, a shift in habit type away from subtropical forests and an increase in dry grasslands. Smilodon were a very specialized species that used ambush tactics for hunting and benefited from the dense undergrowth of the subtropical forests. Therefore, when the habitat shifted to be drier with less subtropical forest available, Smilodon were gradually replaced by conical-toothed cat species such as cheetahs and leopards that were less dependent on ambush predation tactics and could hunt more successfully in more open grassland areas. 

There is debate about the exact number, but about 38 distinct species of felids currently walk the Earth today. These species provide our ecosystems with balance and are part of maintaining high levels of biodiversity. Many Felidae species are apex predators and, therefore, umbrella species, meaning that when we focus on their conservation, an entire ecosystem is protected. This is because Felidae species need a large amount of prey beneath them in the ecological food pyramid, who might need prey below them, and then plant life at the bottom to provide the whole pyramid with energy. Therefore, protecting an apex predator and all the resources it needs will effectively protect many more species in the process and create biodiverse and ecologically healthy ecosystems. The positive effect on ecosystems, as well as the fact that Felidae are some of the most incredible animals on the planet, is a reason why that day, some 34 million years ago, was one of the most important in Earth’s history.

References:

Baggaley, Ann, et al. The Cat Encyclopedia. London, Dorling Kindersley, 2014.

Hunter, Luke, and Priscilla Barrett. Wild Cats of the World. London, Uk, Bloomsbury hhhhWildlife, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2019.

Macdonald, D.W., and A.J. Loveridge. “Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids.” Biology hhhhand Conservation of Wild Felids, 2010, hhhhwww.ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/88796/1/Biology%20and%20Conservahhhhtion%20of%20Wild%20Felids.pdf.

Martin, Larry. Functional Morphology and the Evolution of Cats Functional Morphology hhhhand the Evolution of Cats. 1980.