Earliest “Domestic” Cats in China Identified as Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

摘要: The ancestor of all modern domestic cats is the wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, with archaeological evidence indicating it was domesticated as early 10,000 years ago in South-West Asia. A recent study, however, claims that cat domestication also occurred China some 5,000 and involved same wildcat (F. silvestris). application geometric morphometric analyses to ancient small felid bones from dating between 5,500 4,900 BP, instead reveal these other remains be leopard (Prionailurus bengalensis). These data clearly indicate origins a human-cat ‘domestic’ relationship Neolithic began independently Asia different wild species altogether. cat’s status, appears have been short-lived—its apparent subsequent replacement shown by fact today are genetically related F. silvestris.