Chinese researchers have found the remains of a feline that could fit in the palm of a hand. The smallest cat in the world was discovered deep in a cave, where early humans also lived.
Scientists described the animal as a new species Prionailurus kurteni in a study published in the journal Annales Zoologici Fennici. The extinct cat, which lived 300,000 years ago, is likely the smallest ever found.
The species belongs to the genus of leopard cats Prionailurus, representatives of which still live in South Asia. Most modern leopard cats are closer in size to domestic cats, with an average length of 70 cm and a weight of over 2 kg. The discovered Prionailurus kurteni weighed about 1 kg.
The smallest of the living cats are the black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) and the rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), ranging in size from 35-52 cm. Based on a single jawbone, researchers estimated that the extinct kitty was approximately the same size or possibly smaller. The fossil was found in an archaeological “goldmine” – the famous Huandong cave in eastern China.
Fossil remains of leopard cat ancestors are rare, as these animals live in forests where their bones decompose faster—few prehistoric samples have been preserved. But in the protected environment of the cave, they survived and provided researchers with a unique opportunity. The prehistoric kitty likely roamed the cave in search of rats and mice, which might have fed on the leftovers of early humans.
The angled tooth of the cat links it with a common ancestor of domestic cats and Pallas’s cats. It is known that leopard cats have a shared past with these species, and this finding is the first to testify to that. The genus of leopard cats is widespread in the southern and southeastern forests of Asia, with five modern species.
Source: LiveScience
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