BigCats.com, where ALL wild cats are Big Cats!
All wild cats are in need of conservation - see what they look like and learn more about them!
What is the name given to the earliest known cat?
Proailurus
Explanation
The oldest fossil classified as being in the Family Felidae (the true cats) is called Proailurus. These fossils appear from 20-30 million years ago.
The next step in cat history is called Pseudaelurus. It appears in the fossil record from 20-30 million years ago.
Some time after that there was a split between what we call the Subfamily Machairodontinae (the saber-toothed cats) and the Subfamily Felinae (the conical-toothed cats).
All modern cats are in the Subfamily Felinae, the conical-toothed cats.
Battle of the Brains
This question is part of the Battle of the Brains, a multiple choice learning game.
33% of the game players picked the right answer on the first try.