Scientists in China have found something amazing. It’s the world’s smallest cat fossil found in China, and it belongs to a completely new species of extinct leopard cat. This cat was so small, it could fit perfectly in your hand.Archaeologists have discovered the smallest known cat fossil at an ancient human site in eastern China, which has been identified as an extinct species of leopard cat. This amazing cat was so small that it could fit comfortably in the palm of anyone’s hand. So how small is that really? The ancient cat was similar in size to the smallest existing cat species, the rusty-spotted cat and the black-footed cat, and is much smaller than the modern leopard cat.
These two cats are actually the smallest on Earth today, which gives you a good idea of how small this ancient cat really was.
What makes a 300,000-year-old cat found in China unique?
The fossil turned up in a very famous place. As reported by Chinese news site Xinhua Net, researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences made the discovery from a cave at the Hualongdong site in eastern China’s Anhui Province.
This cave is already known to scientists for its ancient human remains, so finding a small cat fossil there was unexpected.The new species now has the official name Prionailurus kurteni, or P. kurteni, according to a study published in the BioOne Digital Library, titled “Prionailurus kurteni (Felidae, Carnivora), a New Species of Small Felidae from Late Middle Pleistocene Hominin Fossils from Hualong Dong, South China,” and it’s not just a general discovery either, but it actually solves a real scientific mystery. Molecular biology research suggests that the leopard cat, the domestic cat, and Pallas’ cat share a common ancestor, however, no fossil evidence had been identified prior to the discovery.
In simple terms, scientists already thought that these three species of cats were related to each other, but they didn’t have any proof until now.Big Cat Rescue described the discovery in a similar way, explaining that scientists had discovered part of a fossilized jaw in Hualong Dong Cave in China, revealing a new species of ancient leopard cat, Prionailurus kurteni. This cat, dating back more than 300,000 years, was so small that it could fit in the palm of your hand, and was comparable in size to today’s rust-spotted cat.
The science behind identifying Prionailurus kurteni
You may wonder how researchers can learn so much from one small jaw piece. The answer is in the teeth. The fossil shows a tilted first molar, providing evidence from the jawbone and teeth supporting the common ancestry of the three species, according to the study. The shape of the single tooth was enough to link this ancient cat to the leopard cats, house cats, and Pallas’ cats of today.Finding this fossil was actually a bit of luck. Cat bones don’t usually live long enough to turn into fossils.
Preserving fossils in the forest habitats where leopard cats live has proven difficult. The cave likely protected this cat’s bones from weather and decomposition, which is likely why it survived while many others did not.So why was this little cat hanging around a cave full of ancient humans? The lead researcher has a theory. “The food remains of ancient people at the Hualongdong site may have attracted mice and those tiger kittens as well,” said Jianzhou Qigao of IVPP, first author of the study.
Basically, food scraps attracted mice, and mice attracted cats.But did humans actually eat these cats? It doesn’t seem that way. He added: “It is unclear whether these cats formed part of the diet of the inhabitants of Hualong Dong Cave, due to the lack of signs of human slaughter on the fossil jawbone.” The lack of cut marks means there is no sign that the cat had been hunted or eaten, and it was likely sharing the same space with humans.Researchers found nearly 20 ancient human fossils, including a relatively complete skull, more than 400 stone artifacts, numerous bone fragments with evidence of artificial cutting and dismemberment, and more than 80 vertebrate fossils.
Why is this ancient cat fossil more important than it seems?
This discovery is much more than just an interesting story about a kitten. It changes what scientists know about the evolution of young wild cats.According to the study, the identification of P. kurteni indicates a much greater diversity of leopard cats during prehistoric times than previously thought.
In simple terms, there may be many more species of small wild cats than scientists previously thought.The fossil also provides valuable clues about life at Hualong-dong. “The discovery of animal fossils at the Hualongdong site could help shed light on the ecology, diet and potential threats faced by ancient people,” Jiangzuo said.Each animal fossil found at the site helps researchers build a clearer picture of how early humans lived, what they ate, and the challenges they faced in their environment.
