The Late Miocene Radiation of Modern Felidae: A Genetic Assessment

The felid coat pattern evolution proposes that the primitive pattern is one of relatively large spots that break down into smaller spots (flecks) and rosettes while at the same time leading to various striped patterns as sidelines. The primitive pattern appears to be flecks, and it is from this type that nearly all other types have developed. Latest analyses identified eight major felid patterns by using DNA sequence from aDNA, xDNA, yDNA, and mtDNA gene …

…cat lineages, the caracal lineage, and the ocelot lineage occur within zoogeographical regions. Progenitors of the Eurasian and Iberian lynxes migrated to Eurasia 1.6 to 1.2 Ma. Additional, Asian Panthera species spread into America and into Africa. Among the genetic groups, mtDNA was the most divergent and yDNA was second. In the phylogeny of the felids, 21 of the 36 divergences happened in less than 1.0 million years, and the seven nodes are created about 600,000 years away from each other.