While modern understanding of plate tectonics has debunked a lot of the classical 'land bridge' theories of dispersal, adaptive ratiation and speciation, sea level change land a number of land bridge migrations as proposed here do seem reasonable in the case of cat family evolution.

 

I particularly like the author of this summary noting that the house cat has to be considered the evolutionary success story of the family and lions and tigers be damned. How the hell did they con humans into doing all the heavy lifting for them anyway?

 

Cool stuff.

 

Researchers have gained a major insight into the evolution of cats by showing how they migrated to new continents and developed new species as sea levels rose and fell.

 

About nine million years ago - two million years after the cat family first appeared in Asia - these successful predators invaded North America by crossing the Beringian land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska, a team of geneticists writes in the journal Science today.

 

Later, several American cat lineages returned to Asia. With each migration, evolutionary forces morphed the pantherlike patriarch of all cats into a rainbow of species, from ocelots and lynxes to leopards, lions and the lineage that led to the most successful cat of all, even though it has mostly forsaken its predatory heritage: the cat that has induced people to pay for its board and lodging in return for frugal displays of affection.

 

This new history of the family, known as Felidae, is based on DNA analyses of the 37 living species performed by Warren E. Johnson and Stephen J. O'Brien of the National Cancer Institute and colleagues elsewhere.

 

. . .

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/06/science/06cats.html?hp

Edited January 6, 200620 yr by FlaSoxxJim

I love the conclusion. I am also glad we didn't try to domesticate giraffs. I have to believe the poop is huge and who wants to heat tall ceilings like that?