Resource Library | Video The Evolution of Big Cats Learn how today's big cats evolved from prehistoric cat-like organisms, and what factors contributed to their evolution. The evolution of cats. The evolution of the Felidae cat family began about 25 million years ago. Evolution Of Cats The cats have had a genetic timeline, and over millions of years they have undergone several changes.
Dating from 664 B.C. Evolution and adaptation of Felis catus Co-existence of cats and humans is evident from fossil records from early human settlements, although these have been assumed to be wild cats. 500 In 500 BC a domesticated cat was given to the Emperor of China and cats were the most popular pet of the rich during the Song Dynasty. The development of true domestication (or perhaps more accurately ‘taming’ of cats) was previously thought to have occurred in Egypt around 3600 years ago. Scientific American July 2007: 68-75. Evolutionary Timeline of Domesticated Cats Current Day With 600 million cats living as pets worldwide (Scientificamerican 2009) it is safe to say Cats are one of the most popular domesticated pets.
Source: O’Brien, J. S. and Johnson, W. E. (2007).
Though not all of them are known to mankind, the timeline has been maintained for the species for which the fossils have been found. - 395 A.D, Egyptians mummified their house cats, such as this one courtesy of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. These ancient cats evolved into the eight main lineages of the Felidae cat family tree, with most modern cats appearing in the past five million years. Domestic Cat The scientific name for the cat is "Felis Catus".
Cats have many adaptations but the main ones are very well adapted photoreceptors for seeing in the dark, adapted ears for better hearing, and a long tail for agility and balance.
In today's society cats are used for a sense of companionship and its cuteness. The ancient history of the domestic cat starts at the time of the ancient Egyptians 4000 years ago where they were regarded as sacred creatures.