Catlike animals first appeared in fossil records approximately thirty million years ago. They shared typical anatomical features with later cats: long limbs ending in feet with retractable claws and skulls featuring slicing teeth and large, pointed canines. Some genera developed especially long, curved canine teeth, called "sabers." About 10 million years ago, small cats classifiable as members of the genus Felis appeared, and by 3.5 million years ago examples of the genus Panthera emerged. They did not immediately replace saber-toothed cats, whose fossils exist in deposits containing those of modern cats. The American saber-tooth, Smilodon fatalis, was still active toward the end of the last glaciation; some individuals were trapped in California's Rancho La Brea tar pits as late as ten thousand years ago. An estimated four-fifths of all cat species are now extinct, often having disappeared during the same period that their favorite prey species also vanished.
Catlike Animals