Talk:Felidae
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article is supported by the Cats WikiProject.
This project provides a central approach to Cat-related subjects on Wikipedia. |
|
| ??? | This article has not yet received a rating on the Project's quality scale. Please rate the article and then leave a short summary here to explain the ratings and/or to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the article. | |
From the article introduction:
- The first felids emerged during the early Eocene, about 40 million years ago, and the family reached its greatest diversity during the Oligocene.
Is this correct? According to my sources the first cats emerged in the Oligocene, and the greatest diversity was reached late in the Pliocene. We appear to disagree again, Tannin ;-) So, what is right? -- Cordyph 20:32 17 Jul 2003 (UTC)
- Both of us, I think. :) A quick double check on Google seems to confirm the Eocene, Cordyph, with various links, but I am not so sure about the period of greatest diversity. Walker's Mammals of the World (1993) says: The geological range of the Felidae is late Eocene to Recent in North America and Eurasia, early Eocene to Recent in Africa, and late Pliocene to Recent in South America.
- My phrasing was a little loose: my source was really talking about extinctions after the Oligocene and was a bit vague, so I suggest that you change the diversity statement. Best -- Tannin
-
- Yes, you are right. Actually there were cats in the Eocene, Eofelis and Aelurogale. So the article about Proailurus claiming this genus to be the oldest known feline appears to be wrong. -- Cordyph 09:25 18 Jul 2003 (UTC)
One more question: what does "fossile" mean? I thought that was a typo, intended to be "fossil". Tannin
- Apologies Tannin, I am not a native English speaker, and I did not know, that "fossil" is the correct spelling. I have missed, that you had corrected the error before. - Cordyph 09:40 18 Jul 2003 (UTC)
Query: what's the justification for splitting Felidae into so many genera? Most texts that I know only accept four genera: Felis, Neofelis, Panthera and Acinonyx, with all the other genera listed here as synonyms of Felis, except for Uncia, included in Panthera. - MPF 23:56, 24 Feb 2004 (UTC)
Contents |
[edit] evolution
For a long time it was not clear how the current feline species were related to each other. Recent molecular evidence have shown how the cats are probably related. According to the findings, all modern cats can be devided into three 'stocks': the first containing the genera Oncifelis, Oreailurus, Leopardus en Herpailurus. The second containing the genera Felis, Otocolobus Profelis and Prionailurus. We find all larger cats in the third stock, containing the big-cat genera Panthera, Uncia and Neofelis, and also Lynx, Caracal, Puma and Catopuma. Even genera with small species are part of this group: Pardofelis, but also Leptailurus.
The cheetah's are placed in a seperate sub-family, the Acinonychinae. But they are much closer related to the other cats then previously thought. They probably descended from Lynx-like ancestors.
And why did you place the pantherine cats in a seperate sub-family? I thought that the cats were originaly divided into the subfamilies Acinonychinae and Felinae, and that the many cat genera were divided into the Felini and Pantherini supergenera.
How do you think about this? Maybe you can explain more about the evolution of cats with this information? English is not my own language, so I am reluctant to edit pages directly.
[edit] answer to "evolution"
You should just edit the pages. English is not my native language either, but I am editing anyway. I know that my edits contain many spelling and grammar flaws, but they can be corrected by anyone who's language is English. At least that's what I presume.
The 'stocks' you are talking about is just one of many results from molecular and DNA analysis. More recent, and more advanced, studies show a different picture. I've added that to the article as 'Alternative classification'. They include Lynx in the Panthera clade, but show that Caracal is not a Lynx, and thus not a Pantherine - Catopuma is neither. Catopuma is allied with Herpailurus, which is a very close relative to Puma. Leopardus and other South-American felids form a sister group to all other cats. There is a study, however, that excludes Lynx and Pardofelis all together from Pantherini and ally the Leopardini with the Pantherines. This is disputed.
[edit] Tiger Image Caption
The original text stated, "the largest and most powerful of the cats", this is incorrect. The liger is larger than the tiger, and thus the largest living cat. I have changed the caption to reflect this.
Yes you are correct,
Female Ligers are fertile and have produced young that have grown to full maturaty
Not naturally occuring, removed. BNS
[edit] Vandalism
You have no idea how hard it was to resist changing the opening line from
- Lions, tigers, cats and other felines are members of the family Felidae.
to
-
- Lions, tigers, and bears are members of the family Felidae (oh my!).
What stopped me was that this would be vandalism, but still, I had to get it out of my system somewhere, so here I am. --Cyde Weys 16:51, 20 January 2006 (UTC)
- LOL! Your comment is now preserved for posterity at BJAODN. howcheng {chat} 17:10, 20 January 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Feline-Hominid genetic similarity
I tagged this article {{contradict-other}} because of the section on the degree of genetic similarity between humans and felines. This information contradicts the information listed in the Mammal article, as well as the information listed in any of the mammal classification systems. Even if this information was in the National Geographic issue listed as a reference, we have come quite some ways in evaluting genetic similarities/differences since 1997. – Swid (talk | edits) 20:42, 9 August 2006 (UTC)
Yes, the genetic similarity thing contadicts both common sense and about everything we know about evolution. Such a revolutionary claim should have a little better reference than NG.
[edit] Edited the picture in taxobox
I edited the image and name of the tiger. It now correctly displays the largest of the Felidae family, the Amur (or Siberian) Tiger.
[edit] Science article
They estimated that 60 percent of the modern species of cats developed within the last million years.[1]
I was unable to read the full article, but the National Geogrpahic article does not mention this fact. The last 11 million years perhaps, but not 1 million. Does someone have the original article to verify this?
