Otto Kretschmer Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Did large cats get larger over the course of evolution or did the small cats get smaller? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNow Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 Yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moontanman Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 22 minutes ago, Otto Kretschmer said: Did large cats get larger over the course of evolution or did the small cats get smaller? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudaelurus or if you prefer a video description https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrt90MJL08 Cats started out from a small animal that resembled this 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethoflagos Posted March 3 Share Posted March 3 (edited) 1 hour ago, Otto Kretschmer said: Did large cats get larger over the course of evolution or did the small cats get smaller? Why do you omit the cases of large cats getting smaller or small cats getting larger, both of which are supported by the fossil record? Edited March 3 by sethoflagos English Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Kretschmer Posted March 3 Author Share Posted March 3 42 minutes ago, sethoflagos said: Why do you omit the cases of large cats getting smaller or small cats getting larger, both of which are supported by the fossil record? I am not that well versed in the evolution of cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethoflagos Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 17 hours ago, Otto Kretschmer said: I am not that well versed in the evolution of cats. Evolution in cat size tends to be governed by niche partitioning: cat species don't thrive when in direct competition with other carnivores of similar size. In much of southern Amazonia there are six 'common' cat species. In size order: jaguar, puma, ocelot, jaguarundi, margay and oncilla. They each avoid direct competition by feeding on different prey appropriate to their size. However, the jaguarundi and similar sized margay avoid competition by one being diurnal, the other nocturnal. If they'd diverged in size instead, they'd encroach on niches already occupied by ocelot and oncilla. So the whole cat guild can be viewed as coevolving in such a way so as not to step on each other's toes. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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