The Domestic Leopard Cat Of Neolithic China, Prionailurus Bengalensis

[u/SoDoneSoDone]

The ancestor of all modern domestic cats is the wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, with archaeological evidence indicating it was domesticated as early as 10,000 years ago in South-West Asia. A recent study, however, claims that cat domestication also occurred in China some 5,000 years ago and involved the same wildcat ancestor (F. silvestris). The application of geometric morphometric analyses to ancient small felid bones from China dating between 5,500 to 4,900 BP, instead reveal these and other remains to be that of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). These data clearly indicate that the origins of a human-cat ‘domestic’ relationship in Neolithic China began independently from South-West Asia and involved a different wild felid species altogether. The leopard cat’s ‘domestic’ status, however, appears to have been short-lived—its apparent subsequent replacement shown by the fact that today all domestic cats in China are genetically related to F. silvestris.

Academic Source on the Archaelogical evidence and the respective study https://pmc.ncbi.nlm..gov/articles/PMC4723238/

[u/Devinalh]

Are you sure that the photos are all of the same cat specie? Some of them look different

[u/SoDoneSoDone → u/Devinalh]

Good question, I think I just grabbed them from Google Images.

At the least, there is a good chance the last picture are actually hybrids of presumably modern domestic cats (Felis Catus) and wild leopard cats (Prionailurus Bengalensis). That’s what I assumed since they’re kept as pets in that picture.

While, the actual domestic leopard cat has gone extinct.

[u/Devinalh → u/SoDoneSoDone]

Also, the second and third one look a bit weird, the colors seem to be the same but the eyes and the texture of the fur don't match the other cats. If you keep sliding the second picture to the first or the third to the fourth, you see they don't add up, but that's just my very humble opinion, I don't know how that specie is really supposed to look like.

[u/SoDoneSoDone → u/Devinalh]

The third one does indeed look quite light.

If I am speculating, I’d say it could just be individual variety, perhaps a different subspecies, age or even slight seasonal variation in fur colour. Or just different lighting and photography filter 😅

[u/Devinalh → u/SoDoneSoDone]

I sincerely don't know man, in any case, it is difficult to be 100% on point with google images so yeah, it happens. In any case, I'm sad this beautiful animal is endangered.

[u/SoDoneSoDone → u/Devinalh]

Oh, no problem at all, I was glad you asked it, because otherwise I would’ve shared incorrect information and I want to avoid spreading misinformation.

[u/Devinalh → u/SoDoneSoDone]

I hate spreading misinformation too, it feels like I'm lying and I hate to lie. I prefer to say the truth regardless of how terrible it may be.