It turns out that the 300,000-year-old cat fossil, which is considered a great discovery in terms of paleontology, is small enough to fit in the palm of our hand. in the name Prionailurus kurteni, small animal “represents the smallest known fossil member of the family felines until today”according to a press release.
According to a study published in the Finnish science journal Annales Zoologici Fennici, the finding was made by a team of scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology who studied people living at that time in the Hualongdong Cave, an important archaeological site in China’s Guizhou province. removed. It was there 300 thousand years ago.
Lead author of the fossil-led study, Qigao Jiangzuo of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, described in the study as “a small fragment of a cat jawbone body,” told Live Science: “This cat is clearly smaller than a domestic cat, which is the smallest living cat.” [em torno de] 1kg”.
Analyzing the prehistoric kitten

According to Qigao Jiangzuo, the discovery of leopard cat fossils is rare in paleontology because The remains of these animals decompose very quickly in forest habitats. In the case of this little cat, protection occurred due to the closed environment of the cave. The research suggests that leopard diversity was potentially high in prehistoric times.
Although relatively new (excavations began in 2013), Hualongdong Cave has revealed many archaic hominid specimens. According to the study’s first author, “Food residues from ancient people in the Hualongdong region may have attracted mice as well as small leopard cats.”
preservation of fossils P.kurteni The area was assessed by the team to be much colder than other similar locations in southern China. Moreover, this raised questions about the relationship between felines and cave-dwelling humans. The authors believe that ancient humans did not eat these cats because there were no traces of butchery in the fossils.
Some “treasures” from Hualongdong Cave

Recent fossil discovery Prionailurus kurteni He was instrumental in “closing down” a number of molecular biology studies that suggested: Leopard cats, domestic cats and Pallas cats come from the same ancestor.
In addition to these kinship relationships, “understanding the animals around Hualongdong Cave can tell us what foods ancient people had access to and what dangers they faced.” Researchers involved in the study say these discoveries are important for reconstructing human evolution.
Paleontologists say that the cave has uncovered a valuable fossil treasure during more than a decade of excavations. In addition to primitive human remains, fossils of pandas, stegodons (ancestors of elephants and mammoths), and many other extinct species have also been found; This suggests that the cave may have been some kind of natural trap or hunting ground.
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Source: Tec Mundo

I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.