The extinct American ‘cheetah’ was not a cheetah after all

September 4, 2026 · 3:00 pm 3 sources

Image: Science News

Coverage

Coverage

• Was the ‘American cheetah’ a cheetah at all?
  Science News · September 4, 2026 15:00
  Ancient DNA confirms Miracinonyx trumani was more closely related to modern pumas than cheetahs and had a more varied diet than previously thought.

More coverage

• Not a cheetah: Ancient DNA reveals the surprising Arctic life of extinct North American cat
  Phys.org · September 4, 2026 15:00
  A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has overturned decades of assumptions about Miracinonyx trumani, the extinct predator popularly known as the American cheetah. By analyzing nuclear paleogenomes and stable isotopes from fossils found as far north as the…
• The extinct American 'cheetah' was not a cheetah after all
  Phys.org · September 6, 2026 15:00
  With their slender bodies and long front legs, Miracinonyx trumani—often nicknamed the "American cheetah"—was long thought to be a North American analog of the African big cat. But in a new study published in the journal Current Biology, researchers reveal that the extinct cat was more closely…