Miracinonyx

Miracinonyx
Temporal range: Pleistocene
~2.5–0.016 Ma
↓
Artist's rendition of M. trumani
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: †Miracinonyx
Adams, 1979
Type species
†Crocuta inexpectata
Cope, 1895
Species
  • †M. inexpectatus (Cope, 1895) sensu Adams, 1979
  • †M. trumani (Orr, 1969) sensu Adams, 1979
Synonyms
M. inexpectatus synonymy
  • Crocuta inexpectata Cope, 1895
  • Uncia inexpectata (Cope, 1895) sensu Cope, 1899
  • Felis longricus Brown, 1908
  • Felis concolor Brown, 1908
  • Smilodontopsis mooreheadi Hay, 1922
  • Felis (Puma) inexpectata (Cope, 1895) sensu Simpson, 1941
  • Felis studeri Savage, 1960
  • Acinonyx studeri (Savage, 1960) sensu Kurtén & Anderson, 1980
  • Acinonyx inexpectatus (Cope, 1895) sensu Kurtén & Anderson, 1980
M. trumani synonymy
  • Felis concolor Wilson, 1942
  • Felis trumani Orr, 1969
  • Acinonyx trumani (Orr, 1969) sensu Kurtén & Anderson, 1980

Miracinonyx (colloquially known as the "American cheetah") is an extinct genus of felids belonging to the subfamily Felinae that was endemic to North America from the Pleistocene epoch (about 2.5 million to 16,000 years ago) and morphologically similar to the modern cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), although its apparent similar ecological niches have been considered questionable due to anatomical morphologies of the former that would have limited the ability to act as a specialized pursuit predator.[1][2] The genus was originally known from fragments of skeletons, but nearly complete skeletons have been recovered from Natural Trap Cave in northern Wyoming.[3]

The two species commonly identified are M. inexpectatus and M. trumani. Sometimes, a third species, M. studeri, is included, but it is more often listed as a junior synonym of M. inexpectatus. M. inexpectatus ranged from the Blancan to Irvingtonian ages of North America while M. trumani was exclusive to the Rancholabrean age.[1][4]

  1. ^ a b Van Valkenburgh, Blaire; Grady, Frederick; Kurtén, Björn (1990). "The Plio-Pleistocene Cheetah-Like Cat Miracinonyx inexpectatus of North America". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 10 (4): 434–454. Bibcode:1990JVPal..10..434V. doi:10.1080/02724634.1990.10011827. ISSN 0272-4634. JSTOR 4523343.
  2. ^ Figueirido, Borja; Pérez-Ramos, Alejandro; Hotchner, Anthony; Lovelace, David; Pastor, Francisco J.; Martín-Serra, Alberto (2023). "Elbow-joint morphology in the North American 'cheetah-like' cat Miracinonyx trumani". Biology Letters. 19 (1). doi:10.1098/rsbl.2022.0483. PMC 9873470. PMID 36693427.
  3. ^ "Late Pleistocene, paleoecology and large mammal taphonomy, Natural Trap Cave, Wyoming". National Geographic Research & Exploration. 1993. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  4. ^ Michael Hodnett, John Paul; White, Richard S.; Carpenter, Mary C.; Mead, Jim I.; Santucci, Vincent L. (2022). "Miracinonyx Trumani (Carnivora; Felidae) from the Rancholabrean of the Grand Canyon, Arizona and its Implications for the Ecology of the "American Cheetah"". Late Cenozoic Vertebrate Paleontology.