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How are cats just about everywhere?
Topic Started: Apr 23 2009, 07:57 PM (452 Views)
Yorick
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Cats are native to just about every continent except for Australia and Antarctica.

Tigers in Asia, Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards in Africa, Jaguars in South America and Cougars, Lynxes and Bobcats in North America.

Why is that?
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colddigger
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Joke's over! Love, Parasky
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just a shot in the dark here but

origin old world spread everywhere- ice age travel to north america - panama land bridge travel to south america
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Carlos
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They are very adaptable, and since pratically all major landmasses formed a supercontinent during the Pleistocene (with Eurasia - in turn connected to Africa - often forming a landbridge with North America, which in turn collided with South America), it would be pointless if cats and canines didn't took the chance.

Domestic cats are more widespread than their relatives thanks to man, which introduced them to isolated landmasses where no feline went before
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

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crueldunya0000
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There are native cats in Europe? :)
Excuse my ignorance.
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ashwinder
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Well there's the Scottish wildcat.
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Carlos
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Of course there is! We are just unlucky 'cos lions, jaguars, leopards, tigers and cougars are gone! But we still have wildcats and two species of lynx
Lemuria:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/topic/5724950/

Terra Alternativa:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/Conceptual_Evolution/forum/460637/

My Patreon:

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Venatosaurus
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Yes and in the future cats will be even way more spread out cause of the little fellas in our homes (domestic cats) which will diversify and be quite adaptable/resiliant. For cats (atleast domestic cats)" things are looking bright and they're only getting better "(does anyone know the song ok refering to ?).



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Cynovolans
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The one thing that makes cats so adaptable is their anatomy. That's why cheetahs are not having much luck, because they are overspecialized for speed and their anatomy is more like a greyhounds. Most cats have a very similar anatomy.
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Viergacht
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I thought it was because cheetahs went through a genetic bottleneck and are severely inbred.
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ashwinder
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Probably a bit of both. Cheetahs have sacrificed a lot in terms of brute muscle power for speed and agility. Meaning that they can catch and kill some of the fastest prey but they have trouble defending it from other animals.
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