Leopardus
Sign in to saveLeopardus is a genus comprising eight species of small cats native to the Americas. This genus is considered the oldest branch of a genetic lineage of small cats in the Americas whose common ancestor crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia to North America in the late Miocene.
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Leopardus is a group of eight small wild cat species found throughout the Americas, ranging from the southwestern United States to South America. These cats are scientifically important because they represent the oldest surviving branch of American small cats, descended from an ancestor that migrated from Asia across the Bering land bridge millions of years ago during the late Miocene period.
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Taxonomy · GBIF
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderCarnivora
- FamilyFelidae
via GBIF · CC0
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Characteristics
- Taxonomy
- Phylogeny
- References
- External links
Leopardus is a genus comprising eight species of small cats native to the Americas. This genus is considered the oldest branch of a genetic lineage of small cats in the Americas whose common ancestor crossed the Bering land bridge from Asia to North America in the late Miocene.
== Characteristics == Leopardus species have spotted fur, with ground colors ranging from pale buff, ochre, fulvous and tawny to light gray. Their small ears are rounded and white-spotted; their rhinarium is prominent and naked above, and their nostrils are widely separated. They have 36 chromosomes, whereas other felids have 38.