Felidae

     From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Cats

Scientific classification

Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Felidae

Subfamilies

Felinae

Pantherinae

Acinonychinae


All cats are members of the family Felidae. The felines are the most strictly carnivorous of all the nine families in the order to which they belong, Carnivora. It is thought that the closest relatives of the cats are the other families in their branch of the carnivore evolutionary tree: the civets, hyenas, and mongooses. The first felids emerged during the Eocene, about 40 million years ago. The most familiar feline is the Domestic Cat, which first became associated with humans between 7000 and 4000 years ago. Its wild relatives remain in Africa and western Asia to this day, although habitat destruction has restricted their range.



Other well-known members of the cat family include big cats such as the Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Jaguar, and Cheetah (although the Cheetah, despite its size, appears to be descended from the small cats), and other wild cats such as the lynxes, Puma, and Bobcat.


		

Table of contents 






1 Classification

2 Fossil cats

3 References

4 See also


Classification


Subfamily Felinae
Genus Felis
 Wild Cat, Felis silvestris
 Desert Cat or African Wild Cat, Felis silvestris lybica, sometimes Felis lybica
 Domestic Cat, Felis silvestris catus, sometimes Felis catus
 Sand Cat, Felis margarita
 Jungle Cat, Felis chaus
 Black-footed Cat, Felis nigripes
 Chinese Desert Cat, Felis bieti
Genus Otocolobus
 Pallas Cat, Otocolobus manul
Genus Catopuma
 Asiatic Golden Cat, Catopuma temmincki
 Bay Cat, Catopuma badia
Genus Profelis
 African Golden Cat, Profelis aurata
Genus Prionailurus
 Leopard Cat, Prionailurus bengalensis
 Fishing Cat, Prionailurus viverrinus
 Flat-headed Cat, Prionailurus planiceps
 Rusty-spotted Cat, Prionailurus rubiginosus
Genus Lynx
 Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx
 Spanish Lynx, Lynx pardinus
 Canada Lynx, \Lynx canadensis
 Bobcat, Lynx rufus
Genus Caracal
 Caracal, Caracal caracal
Genus Leptailurus
 Serval, Leptailurus serval
Genus Herpailurus
 Jaguarundi, Herpailurus yaguarondi
Genus Oncifelis
 Pampas Cat, Oncifelis colocolo
 Geoffroy's Cat, Oncifelis geoffroyi
 Kodkod, Oncifelis guigna
Genus Oreailurus
 Andean Cat, Oreailurus jacobita
Genus Leopardus
 Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis
 Margay, Leopardus wiedii
 Little Spotted Cat, Leopardus tigrinus
Genus Puma
 Puma, Puma concolor
Subfamily Pantherinae
Genus Pardofelis
 Marbled Cat, Pardofelis marmorata
Genus Neofelis
 Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa
Genus Uncia
 Snow Leopard, Uncia uncia
Genus Panthera
 Lion, Panthera leo
 Tiger, Panthera tigris
 Leopard, Panthera pardus
 Jaguar, Panthera onca
Subfamily Acinonychinae
Genus Acinonyx
 Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus

Fossil cats


The oldest known felines (Aelurogale, Eofelis) emerged in the Eocene. Better known is Proailurus, which lived in the Oligocene and Miocene eras. During the Miocene it gave way to Pseudaelurus. Pseudaelurus is believed to be the latest common ancestor of the three above-mentioned subfamilies and another subfamily, the Machairodontinae. This group, better known as the sabertooth cats, became extinct in the Pleistocene era. It includes the genera Smilodon, Machairodus, Dinofelis and Homotherium.


References

Mammal Species of The World
www.csew.com/fe---
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ht---
www.itis.usda.gov/s---

See also

 Phantom cats



Felidae is also the title of a novel by Akif Pirincci in which a cat named Joseph investigates the murders of several cats in the big city. The sequel is Felidae on the Road.