Story thread · 8 reports / 7 sources

The extinct American 'cheetah' was not a cheetah after all

phys.org · 8dShare

With their slender bodies and long front legs, Miracinonyx trumani—often nicknamed the "American cheetah"—was long thought to be a North American analog of the African big cat. But in a new study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers reveal that the extinct cat was more closely related to pumas. Some populations living near the Arctic preyed almost exclusively on fish, challenging the long-held assumption that these "cheetahs" chased fast-running prey, such as pronghorns.

First report: Was the ‘American cheetah’ a cheetah at all? — sciencenews.org, 10d