The cat came out of the bag. A previously unknown species of extinct cat that once hunted large animals has been recently discovered.
The carnivore’s well-preserved fossilized remains were unearthed in Madrid, Spain, according to a study published January 16 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
After analyzing the remains, which consisted of a jaw and teeth, researchers determined that they belonged to an ancient medium-sized cat.
The species was named Peigne after the French paleontologist Stéphane Peignet and was added to a new genus named Magherifelis after Madrid’s historical name, Magherit.
Cats roamed the Earth during the mid-Miocene epoch, 16 to 11 million years ago.
They only weigh about 16 pounds, which is not much larger than the average domestic cat.
But despite its moderate size, it appeared to have powerful muscles, allowing it to punch above its weight, the researchers said.
These characteristics “would have enabled them to generate powerful bite forces when hunting, allowing them to kill relatively large prey,” the researchers said.
They may have hunted animals in the genus Micromerix, a member of the prehistoric deer family. However, the most common prey would have been small vertebrates such as mice and birds.
Once it caught its prey, it probably carried it away into a tree to avoid other predators.
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