Study Extracts Nuclear DNA From 20,000-Year-Old American Cheetah, Finds Persistently Low Population
Updated
Updated · Cowboy State Daily · Sep 5
Study Extracts Nuclear DNA From 20,000-Year-Old American Cheetah, Finds Persistently Low Population
3 articles · Updated · Cowboy State Daily · Sep 5
Summary
Current Biology published a study showing the extinct American cheetah-like cat Miracinonyx had an extremely low effective population size in the Late Pleistocene, challenging assumptions that cheetah relatives were once far more numerous.
Nuclear DNA was recovered for the first time from tiny petrosal inner-ear bones, giving researchers a fuller genetic picture and confirming Miracinonyx was closer to mountain lions than to modern African cheetahs.
isotope analysis also found Miracinonyx ate different prey across its range—ungulates in Wyoming but primarily fish in the Yukon—pointing to far greater ecological flexibility than scientists had assumed.
The findings extend the cat’s range from Alaska to Mexico and suggest naturally small populations may have long characterized cheetah-like cats, sharpening the case for protecting remaining big-cat habitat today.