Paleontologists in China have discovered the fossilized remains of what may be the smallest cat ever known. The 30,000-year-old lower jaw fragment, found in the Hualongdong Cave, is believed to belong to an extinct leopard cat species. This tiny feline, likely smaller than a typical house cat, lived alongside a family of 20 humans in the region.
Paleontologists have unearthed the 30,000-year-old fossilized remains of what may be the smallest cat ever known to have existed.
The research team involved scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology , Northeast Forestry University in Harbin, China, and the Swedish Museum of Natural History.The newly discovered extinct cat species, named, was smaller than a typical house cat. This makes it the smallest fossil cat discovered from the Felidae family so far.
However, this particular cat’s fossil was found preserved within a cave. The cave environment likely shielded the remains from the elements, preventing rapid decay and allowing the bones to fossilize. “Understanding the animals around the Hualongdong cave could tell us about what food the ancient humans had access to and what dangers they faced. These findings are important for us to reconstruct the evolution of humans,” the researchers stated in the study paper.
Paleontology Fossil Cat China Extinction Evolution
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