Autumn Cox
On November 13, 2013, researchers study the DNA and bone fragments have been found in Tibet of an extinct cat. The cat is called Panthera blythe ae, meaning it is the part of the Pantherinae cat family. Since it was in the Pantherinae, it is related to leopards, lions, tigers, and jaguars. The DNA that the researchers found is over two million years old. They found this information using magnetostratigraphy, which is where the scientists say how old they are depending on the rock layer that it was in. The fossil shows that the big cats originated from Central Asia, although many people thought that it came from Africa.
The find included seven fragments, each from an individual cat, including a large quantity of a skull. A professor at Texas A&M University says that the skull resembles that of a snow leopard. He also say that it is surprising they found any bone fragment of a cat or large animal because there are usually only small animals’ bone fragments found at that site. More researchers will soon research more on this topic.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24913291
On November 13, 2013, researchers study the DNA and bone fragments have been found in Tibet of an extinct cat. The cat is called Panthera blythe ae, meaning it is the part of the Pantherinae cat family. Since it was in the Pantherinae, it is related to leopards, lions, tigers, and jaguars. The DNA that the researchers found is over two million years old. They found this information using magnetostratigraphy, which is where the scientists say how old they are depending on the rock layer that it was in. The fossil shows that the big cats originated from Central Asia, although many people thought that it came from Africa.
The find included seven fragments, each from an individual cat, including a large quantity of a skull. A professor at Texas A&M University says that the skull resembles that of a snow leopard. He also say that it is surprising they found any bone fragment of a cat or large animal because there are usually only small animals’ bone fragments found at that site. More researchers will soon research more on this topic.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24913291
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