The Ghostly Origins of the Big Cats

[@thisfool89]

You guys some how made basically saying "we dont know" super interesting.

[@kathryngeeslin9509]

One of the things I love about science, "we don't know" can be fascinating.

[@geofflau4215]

Where the average person shrugs & says "we don't know", scientists say "we want to know!"

[@jaydeflayme2890]

Geoff Lau More like "We have no idea! Isn't that cool??"

[@jaydeflayme2890]

Geoff Lau More like "We have no idea! Isn't that cool??"

[@CerebrumMortum]

"One can say he knows a thing not when he can recite facts from his head, nor when he can ask all manners of questions, but rather one truly knows a thing when he can state, with accuracy, all that which he does not know of it." - Socrates.

[@lonjohnson5161]

This episode has two things I like. 1) Cats. Cats are always cool. 2) An acknowledgement of the limitation of our knowledge. I like to know how strong the evidence is for a given hypothesis.

[@03.ximipa3ahmadrinofarosmu3]

Cats are always cool

[@WhiteChocolate74]

They should do rats

[@Alatreon2435]

they're cool except if they're invasive

[@maxfochtmann9576]

And she has such a pleasant voice......

[@MissTamara1986]

YEAAA A cats are my fav animal

[@philliplopez8745]

My cat knows , but he will not tell .

[@kangthao5121]

But your cat doesn't remember its parents or grandparents

[@philliplopez8745]

@@kangthao5121 my cat may be one of your grandparents

[@kangthao5121]

@@philliplopez8745 well that probably explains about my cat like reflex and speed, and hatred towards human. 🤔

[@mambojambo4870]

@@kangthao5121 How to dodge laser beams #1

[@davidramossalsologoporexse2469]

Lol

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

I absolutely love the humility and honesty of the scientific perspective. "We don't know." A perfectly valid answer. Not particularly satisfying and that's why there are still many research teams out in the field looking for the answers.

[@mammadingo9165]

The questioning becomes inspiring for many . And the varied perspective increases the out of the bot thinking we need to get these answers. 🥰✨✌🏻

[@notliluwu]

This makes a lot of sense because , the catnip plant is native to Central Asia .

[@thespookyvaginosisnut5984]

Lol

[@Meteo_sauce]

@@thespookyvaginosisnut5984 no, shes serious. Its legit

[@thespookyvaginosisnut5984]

Cool

[@GerardWay4President]

Lol, why did they leave then?

[@harikiran4339]

XD

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

So is this about the missing lynx then?

[@SkySilverFire]

LoL boo...

[@Whosaskin]

It was a clever pun

[@gluteusmaximus8881]

But lynx aren't true big cats

[@ronniessebaggala362]

I enjoyed this. But please leave.

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

@@ronniessebaggala362 Cats are fauna. Leaves are flora. The evolutionary tree should not be taken so literally.

[@lewisthurston9785]

Just imagine how scary a ghost jaguar would be

[@DF-mw1sh]

jaguar ghost would be scarier

[@hazardeur]

Dude, they pretty much are ghosts. Go in the jungle of south america and you will experience it. You will only know that one is there once he snaps your neck or drives his teeth into your skull

[@DF-mw1sh]

@@hazardeur yeah but imagine if they could also go through walls and not die

[@zooemperor3954]

David Hernandez that’s a real life horror movie you couldn’t possibly invent

[@melvinshine9841]

@@DF-mw1sh Please don't give ScyFy any ideas. They'd find a way to make it terrible.

[@hiqwertyhi]

"we don't know where these cats came from" well looks like the egyptians were right. they're gods

[@SatumainenOlento]

Yes, just materialized in the middle of us and got their God-status. Simple.

[@Jenacide]

Lawl ya, I was thinking that the whole time.

[@madcratebuilder]

Mine sure act like it.

[@robinpotter963]

@@SatumainenOlento 😁👍👆

[@wienzard93]

my neighbor cats (which partially imprinted on me) act like one. whenever he visit me, he sat on my high window looking at me. demanding it to be opened on all time so he can travel back on forth to get cuddles from me and then back home for food.

[@zam9791]

Their fossil hard to find because cat have 9 lives. True story.

[@bleep4288]

I ain't even got nothing to say to this.

[@yaboiblue904]

Sounds like you need to be apart of the pbs team 😂

[@beatmoder]

wait so if i kill my cat will it respawn

[@jasondaniel918]

I have lived with domestic cats for over 40-years. Although I have gotten to know the personalities of the individuals I have shared my life with, I must admit I know relatively little of their species' origins. And little to nothing about the big cats. Thank you for this information.

[@Thunderblock7889]

Some scentists suggest that the ability to roar was developed by lineages related to Panthera Leo and was passed upon other Panthera cats via crossbreeding. For instance its said that Lions crossbreed with Jaguars and Snow Leopards during the Pleistocene. This would explain with Jaguars can roar and Leopards cant despite Leopars bring more related to Lions than Jaguars are.

[@muhammadeisa1459]

@@Thunderblock7889 leopards can roar

[@barretthoven]

Big Cats have always been my favorite group of animals. They made me want to be a zoologist. I’m so happy that you made a video about them.

[@Dragrath1]

Even if its a we don't know much about how they arose video? One thing that kinda is shocking is how recent the modern lineages of carnivora as a whole seem to be they aren't all that much older than the great apes as a whole and primates are comparatively an old mammal lineage.

[@WildVoltorb]

I prefer domestic cats

[@gutenman7112]

Cats are one of the most succesful species . But they are designed to be fully a predator .. being a predator not only they have their physically beat the prey but it can outsmart most of its prey too. So why did we humans get ahead of them ? Unlike them , we humans like to live together and defend eachother , cats developed to live separately so they wont compete for prey ..

[@obi3kenobi]

Did you become zoologist?

[@tvbnine793]

I'm studying Zoology to pursue my life-long goal of being a tiger keeper at a zoo

[@chegeny]

Fitting that big cats would have a mysterious ghostly lineage.

[@AyubuKK]

chegeny Ikr

[@lunaballuna]

I wonder why she didn't mention anything about the saber tooth tiger. Is it not related to any of these big cats?

[@albertoorani5427]

@@lunaballuna She was talking about the cats of the Panthera genus, no sabertooth cat belongs to that genus

[@WakefieldTolbert]

The Ghosts were IN the Darkness.

[@blowfishes]

It would be great to discover the evolution of the Hyena, and where it sits in its family tree.

[@TheInselaffen]

Yeah, and the evolution of the pseudopenis.

[@slappy8941]

Hyaenas don't sit in trees. _Ba-dum-tss!_

[@timothygordon958]

They are a totally different thing than cats or dogs like dog mixed with vulture

[@justflex6745]

@@timothygordon958 I just looked that up. They are actuallt feliforms. They are more related to cats than dogs Which kinda suprised me. They acted and kinda looked like dogs

[@computernerd3183]

@@slappy8941 You cheeky bugger XD

[@caathrok]

makes sense. there's no where to hide but sometimes I can't find my cat for days.

[@catdogabuab1928]

It is a well established fact in the scientific community that cats teleport. I had a closed door and my cat was not in the room because I saw it on the living room couch. No one opened the door. Outside raking leaves, I hear a meow and see her in the bedroom window. I went inside and the door was closed, and lo and behold she left the bedroom upon my opening it.

[@itsgachaplaytime6495]

Yeah, our cats sometimes apeers at the most un ecpecting places like,,, one night when the front door was closed one our cats randomly apeered in the back yard😅

[@LloydSkyLion]

Can you imagine all those amazing animal lineages that existed, but that we don't know about because we never found any fossils !! ?

[@hydemascarada]

I was wondering why the saber-toothed cats were not mentioned in this video, but now I know they don't belong to the Pantherinae family. Eons, I would love to know more about the difference between the Pantherinae and the other big felines. Please!

[@Boonedale]

Yea, I was wondering about that too.

[@sabbytheslothcat6663]

Same!

[@syedshakaibanwar2698]

Biggest difference between Pantherinae and Sabertoothed cats such as Smilodons and Homotheriums is that Pantherine genus cats are called "Biting Cats" referring to their behavior of very often using their jaws, it's a bit too cheesy but basically Smiliodons didn't really have strong bites, if they were to inflict even the bit force of a Lion, their canines would shatter and they can't take a lot of stress either, they would break by being swatted at by a prey or other smiliodons, hence it is believed that they instead used their teeth in special ways such as cutting open a prey's soft portions with their canines. For Pantherines, they may be called Biting Cats but that behavior is also often seen in Cougars, although probably an example of convergent evolution.

[@shauryakalia3296]

Panthera is characterised by ability to roar, or the relevant anatomy for the same in case of uncia

[@issagahan6693]

Pantherinae don't purr but roar pumas, cheetahs, and the gods we have at home, do.

[@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88]

Ahh cats, elusive and aloof, even in history.

[@profharveyherrera]

I wish I had teachers who made paleontology as interesting as EONS hosts, I've learned a lot since I first visited the channel, Thank you!

[@kwoo24]

Because your teachers don't have footage, music and images appear next to them whenever they talk. KZbin channels like this make so much more money than your teachers. It's a big business, they have enough resource and a team of professionals to prepare and get materials for their videos.

[@davidreed9849]

Very cool. The phrase at the end, “they are descended of ghosts” is almost mystical in its diction...

[@nattystrongman4925]

When you realize that youve spec too much into stealth that even your own evolution tree has been stealthed

[@albatross1688]

I guess this is a prime example of just how little we know of Earth's prehistory. Great vid though.

[@momon969]

It's sad to think that all the materials which could teach us more are slowly decaying every second of every day...

[@maibhassin]

ask youtube comment experts they know everything

[@joseignaciodepierola2855]

We know that there where also Machairodontids, also called as Scimitar toothed cats

[@raymondthrone7197]

In some respects it's amazing we know as much as we do about ancient times, but yes, every so often there's a stark reminder that we're getting only the blurriest snapshot of eras from long ago.

[@joseignaciodepierola2855]

@@raymondthrone7197, We don't know what purpose do they have, maybe killing or extrangulation

[@ritchey635]

American lion: shows a picture of a chubby drawn cat...

[@slappy8941]

Big Chungus lol

[@dv9239]

It's dummy thic

[@NicoMarinao]

tthats muscle and fur

[@TheGazingHeart]

thats 100% beef my dude

[@annonimooseq1246]

Largos Brazos no it chonk

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Africa: Exists The Big Cats: “It’s free real estate.”

[@creepycrawler123]

Not a Dog kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3_bgYmgZc2YoMk

[@Ratigan2]

I didn't think i would find memes here

[@niharg2011]

*India : exists India actually has 4 Of the 5 Big Cats Species...

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Nihar Gawand Yeah, But you won’t see any of them through the overpopulation and garbage. At least Africa has open spaces devoid of humans being packed together like sardines.

[@niharg2011]

@@Im-Not-a-Dog LMAO No, Tigers have an increasing population, Leopards are in essentially every forest in India even the one's right next to cities with around a Million Strong population and only place in the world to find Asiatic Lions who are also having a steady increase in Population, I would say you have a wrong perspective about India's Big Cats PS I Say this after photographing all the big cats in both Kenya and India

[@DavidR575]

We don't know, but we can inFUR

[@seanstevenduco5722]

This jokes are Purrfect. But we can’t be Lion. We need evidence to be purrven.

[@kaizokujimbei143]

Are you guys kidding me right meow ?

[@joshua_prime3743]

I'm pretty PAWsitive we'll crack the mistery someday

[@gustavoelizondo7537]

I love PBS Eons, but this has to be one of my favorite episodes ever, just because of how limited and aware of its limitations the paleontology scientific research admits to be. It creates an entire system around itself to try and define where the limitations come from (like the habits of big cats they described) and takes it from there. Its beautiful.

[@absalomdraconis]

Clouded leopard: Himalayan, ancestral to the big cats. Tiger: Asiatic, apparently the base-most surviving big cat. Snow leopard: Asiatic, I had thought it was the base-most big cat, but it's apparently the second base-most survivor. Scientists: this lineage is obviously African in origin!

[@philipprint9510]

Don't forget the Asiatic Lion, and there was the Barbary Lion, the final one in the wild filmed as late as the 1940s. Does that mean that the lion was the most widespread big cat and not the tiger?

[@coop-nr6nm]

Philip Print Um, nope.

[@adamgallyot9063]

@@coop-nr6nm Um, ya. Lions are the most widespread big cat. They've migrated from Asia to Africa, Europe, North America and South America. A majority of them are the cave lion subspecies

[@stonedscared8461]

Lions were just more popular and probably got more funding to look into.

[@adamgallyot9063]

@@stonedscared8461 it's not about popularity, it's about their ranged habitat throughout the world

[@otterwoods8881]

Me looking at this giant carnivore that could kill me in 2 seconds. also me AWWWW KITTY

[@daerdevvyl4314]

Otter Woods I know what you mean. If I was ever face to face with a lion, I would have to resist the suicidal urge to pet it.

[@faztznya5207]

Big cats The mos lovely cute little killing machines

[@GabsARV]

@@daerdevvyl4314 for me almost any biy cat, cheetah, tiger, lions, leopard. You name any of it I think their all fluffy and adorable. Yet I must resist.

[@lhfirex]

Informative video, and despite knowing that these big cats aren't exactly cuddly pets, I still feel like they're somehow cute.

[@ashleyfurrow4414]

Todd Crabtree gosh darn right they’re cute!

[@flickmew99]

Small amount of people already experienced their cuteness, cuddling , kissing, and sleep with them. But yeah I agree they are cute

[@slwrabbits]

Cute and hazardous to your health are not mutually exclusive.

[@marciocoelho2481]

My cat overheard this audio segment but completely ignored it, sitting on a pillow and sipping red wine by the fire place. I think he knows something.

[@TheMcKenzieHaus]

For a video full of “idk”, it sure was informative lol 😂

[@zooemperor3954]

Now that the big cats have come, please do Hyaenodon.

[@droneracer]

Fred Flintstone domesticated one of the first cats. It wasn't easy.

[@adambomb30]

I live in Texas and there are people here that believe something close to that.

[@thomassmestead6424]

LMAO

[@melvinshine9841]

Big cats are so stealthy even their fossils are in hiding. Edit: 500+ likes. Did not see that coming. Edit edit: 1,000+ likes...okay then. Edit edit edit: 3,000+ likes... how?

[@recklessroges]

As a former archaeologist, I prefer to take my "its-research-totally-not-a-holiday" in nice warm places. I'll bet that the big cats last common ancestor is either underwater or someone cold and inhospitable.

[@Falckie8008]

You can easily find them! Just look for a fossilized box

[@bramvanbennekom168]

Did they check behind the couch? That's normally where mine hide

[@user-Void-Star]

@@recklessroges look in Tibet there are many things that you have never seen before.

[@internziko]

Exactly!

[@brigidtheirish]

Himalayas makes sense. It's fairly central to the collective range of all big cats in the Old World.

[@mrillis9259]

It's almost like they appeared, perfect, all at once.

[@718enjoyer]

Can you make a video on acanthodii or spiny sharks? They are an extinct group of fish and they seem really cool, a video on them would be awesome!

[@stanrogers5613]

Olduvai... Laetoli... we've been cat food since day one, haven't we?

[@SuperTonyony]

LOL! One way or the other, right?

[@John77Doe]

Stan Rogers We used our and young to bait, the big predatory cats and while they were feeding jabbed their under bellies with fire hardened pointed sticks. That is why they went extinct. 😐😐😐😐😐

[@SatumainenOlento]

LOL feeding the cats is humankind's destiny 😀😀😀

[@demonking86420]

I mean When you die, your pet cats will more likely snack on you than mourn your passing

[@panda-peanut]

Yes, we have.

[@OlOleander]

Woohoo! It's rare I get to catch an Eons upload so early. Great work, team!

[@arisenleaf]

Manatee Man wtf is that pfp *That Image Is Cursed*

[@OlOleander]

@@arisenleaf You're welcome

[@sleepybowakunga6907]

You right

[@sofiatgarcia3970]

Kallie, you're awesome. A wonderful presenter and your enthusiasm shines through like a star, revealing the depth of your knowledge. Thank you.

[@doggoswoofwoof]

Brings a whole new meaning to the term "ghost of the forest"

[@kenxclout]

What is it called when a cat wins a dog show? A CAT-HAS-TROPHY!

[@notpulverman9660]

Ha

[@munamahamud9030]

Lmao

[@BertGrink]

Get out! lol

[@slappy8941]

The police are on the way.

[@delusionsofgrandeur1330]

Dad! I told you to stop doing this

[@composerdoh]

Every time she said "lions and tigers" I expected her to continue "and bears- oh my!!"

[@maximaldinotrap]

Bears are essentially discount dogs though.

[@beastmaster0934]

@@maximaldinotrap Dogs on steroids

[@quantom6]

You should do the evolution of bats. That's an interesting animal.

[@adamgallyot9063]

@John R lol

[@issagahan6693]

You're saying cats are not interesting???????

[@garymeaney60]

Could you please do a video on Pleistocene Europe? The continent once had lions, leopards, hyenas, megafaunal wolves, cave bears, tyrant polar bears, giant brown bears, pumas, giant lynxes, huge elk, mammoths, woolly rhinos, pumas, and even tigers.

[@theblueumbreon7166]

You should make a video about how teeth started. A weird but interesting topic right

[@Munchkin.Of.Pern09]

Panthera Blytheae’s artwork is sooo pretty... then again, I’m particularly partial to Snow Leopards, so that’s a given 😊

[@JoaoPedro-qp9cw]

I just love coming home tired after physical education, taking a bath and seeing the notification of a new video here in Eons. Back to my natural habitat

[@TheDragon-v7d]

Ayeeeee

[@MrClassicmetal]

This comes as a surprise. Apparently the closest living relatives of tigers are snow leopards: ========== Tigers are less closely related to lions, leopards and jaguars than these other big cats are to each other, according to a new comprehensive study. The genetic analysis also reveals the tiger began evolving 3.2 million years ago, and its closest living relative is the equally endangered snow leopard. bigcatrescue.org/tigers-evolved-with-snow-leopards-gene-study-reveals/?amp

[@TheZenytram]

but yet tiger and lion can breed, lol.

[@timberthewolf9448]

@@TheZenytram all big cats can hybridize with eachother

[@Reyma777]

Zenytram Searom Lion-Tiger hybrids show noticeable health issues more so than lion-jaguar, lion-leopard and leopard-jaguar hybrids. I would assume an uncessary hybrid between a tiger and snow leopard would have fewer health problems than other tiger hybrids.

[@Dragrath1]

@@TheZenytram The ability to breed says more about the chromosomal history of the animals and whether or not rearrangements have occurred within a lineage at only 11 million years old big cats are probably far too young to have acquired enough of those type of events to render offspring nonviable. The other equally if not more important information is whether or not the animals can mate in the wild and equally whether or not hybrid offspring can survive on their own. Take Carolina Chickadees and Black Capped Chickadees both can successfully breed with each other but the hybrid offspring are just not able to compete with either of their parent species and thus don't get to pass on their genes. The effect is that while they can breed with each other the non-survival of hybrid offspring on their own can serve as just a powerful barrier. Alternatively though sometimes hybridization can result in a new species if there is an unoccupied niche.

[@anthrax6685]

I wouldn’t have guess leopards and lions being so closely related

[@malthesse]

Well, logically it does make a lot of sense if the big cats evolved in southern Asia. After all, India is home to four of the five big cats - tiger, lion, leopard and snow leopard - as well as Panthera's closest living relative the clouded leopard. While Africa only has two Panthera species.

[@jabby6709]

this video reminded me how much I love snow leopards. they're like normal leopards, but _extra fluffy_

[@Dnugrahari]

"We've been looking in the wrong place." Sounds like my dad. 🤣🤣🤣

[@Dnugrahari]

@Let it be. I meant that he often does this at home. Looking for his wallet or keys or something else at the wrong place.

[@abdulkarimismail9413]

Brilliant video! I would love to learn more about the evolution of flight in bats. How does a small mammal become one of the most successful flying hunters in natural history?

[@pansepot1490]

As far as I know there are almost no fossils for a satisfactory reconstruction of their evolutionary history. Being small, delicate and perhaps not living in a favorable environment they haven’t fossilized well.

[@stevenpreston7403]

No one knows mate:)

[@abdulkarimismail9413]

Thanks for letting me know but aww that's disappointing

[@Dragrath1]

@@abdulkarimismail9413 As others have said unfortunately flying animals don't typically fossilize well since the adaptations that make animals well adapted for flight make fossilization quite rare. The same is true of Insects Birds and the extinct Pterosaurs it is vary rare to find well fossilized specimens. The only conditions that seem to really make preservation of small flying animals likely is pyroclastic ash and anoxic waters as those both remove pretty much all risk of scavenging. Short of finding bat fossils in similar environments we don't really have much if any window into bat evolution. Add to that that Mammals are particularly known for having spotty fossil records and it becomes less likely for good fossilization to preserve bats.

[@mattj4005]

@Just your friendly neighborhood quiet kid There are about six genera of well-preserved ancient bats (Onychonycteris, Icaronycteris, Archaeonycteris, Hassianycteris, Palaeochiropteryx, and Tachypteron) and they are actually all from lake environments. The first two are from the Green River Formation in Wyoming (about 52 million years old) and the last four are from the Messel Oil Shale in Germany (about 48 million years old). Messel actually preserves a lot of individuals--bats are the most common mammals there. But yeah, like others have said, there aren't any transitional bats and we don't even know what group of living mammals they are most closely related to.

[@Gandalf-The-Green]

I never thought about that, but apex predators like big cats probably face an insane amount of selection pressure in any given ecosystem just because of their low numbers.

[@AquilaLupus9]

Placentas! Blake stated he would some day talk about the evolution on placentas. I'm still waiting on that video. I will blitz spam every Eons upload until I get my placenta video.

[@austinthe710messiah2]

What's really interesting is evolution begins in Asia for many lineages, which makes sense its the largest landmass so the cradle of life would begin to diverse.

[@dinodadreviews2923]

This jives with the idea that the Tibetan Plateau acted as a "species pump" throughout the late Cenezoic.

[@nairbvel]

As much as I would love being able to establish a more sure & complete historical family tree for the big cats, it feels strangely appropriate that predators often said to stalk through the night like ghosts have a ghost lineage. :-)

[@Beryllahawk]

I love that your pin is a "ghostly" cat :D Fascinating video!

[@erichdiebenow4727]

I swear it’s puro.

[@NxsRuin]

They need to rethink the 'big cats' category. It was originally defined by the ossification of the hyoid bone as an evolved trait, but it's probably just an epigenetic feature that pops up/disappears within few generations when (prey) size changes. Humans have similar bones that only appear with tall/heavy people (second knee cap). It's documented that 'big cat' leopards can produce viable offspring with 'small cat' pumas (even has a name: pumapards) and felines in general are 'famous' for crossbreading easily. It's probably a much tighter family than we realize.

[@jnahahha1853]

Can you do a video about the evolution of crying?? I’m super curious

[@benwinkel]

It started with the howler monkey's

[@damirsaurio]

CAN YOU PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO about the terrestrial gondwanian crocodilomorphs?? Like why they disappeared, how did they get terrestrial...???

[@andrewmartin9379]

damir prado you’ve made this comment a lot huh

[@damirsaurio]

Andrew Martin HAHA indeed!! I’m glad you noticed it :)

[@cleverusernamenexttime2779]

I give a thumbs up for your sticking with it

[@patricknaylor190]

Im engaging. KZbin pls promote this content!

[@GirlAcrossTheWorld]

Yes, engagement. Good video, many comments.

[@arcticwulf5796]

Comment for comments sake

[@xxKrazyKxx]

I too shall engage.

[@chalkiewithdots]

Engaged

[@giovaniprimera]

I have this engaged

[@seaofseeof]

I'm on team parrot. My pionus and parrotlet make sure that they're my favorite dinosaurs. What are the odds of you guys doing a video on the origins and evolution of parrots?

[@Alex-kp5pq]

They're part of a stem split group in the lineage that leads to falcons and modern perching birds like crows and sparrows. Their notable intelligence is probably quite old, judging by comparable intellect that has been recorded in perching birds.

[@trondsi]

As a biologist I actually guessed that there was an Asian origin of big cats years ago. The typical pattern is that the place of origin has higher diversity than other areas. Asia has tigers, lions, leopards, and snow leopards. Africa has lions and leopards. The Americas has the jaguar. So an Asian origin always seemed most likely.

[@hueyfreeman2687]

PBS eons and animalogic are my favorite channels

[@crocowithaglocko5876]

Do an episode about the Bear Dog!

[@carboy101]

OMG yes! I need this episode.

[@cleverusernamenexttime2779]

Sounds like a truly terrifying trip into the mind of Stephen King.

[@ungoyone]

@ady nails Jackelope?

[@adamgallyot9063]

@@ungoyone Nah!

[@adamgallyot9063]

Yes, yes. Amphicyon!!

[@mattcassidy1059]

This ghost lineage seems oddly fitting for such skilled stealth hunter.

[@Tim3.14]

I was curious about the origin of the name Blytheae. It turns out that the naming rights were auctioned off as a fundraiser for the LA Natural History Museum, and the winners chose to name it after their daughter Blythe.

[@chitskirits]

Yes, 2 million years ago the Panthera Leo was having early humans for dinner

[@thecerebralassasinhhh8279]

Breakfast and lunch too!

[@sasukeuchiha8648]

@@thecerebralassasinhhh8279 Lol! No wonder early humans left Africa

[@thecerebralassasinhhh8279]

@@sasukeuchiha8648 hahaha yes

[@martianmohit7173]

Currently, India is the only country confirmed to have both wild lions and tigers . 🦁🐯🇮🇳

[@juanausensi499]

And they have leopards too!

[@yaboiblue904]

Cool

[@سلامہريکے]

ok and?

[@ranewridha120]

What an awesome channel. I stumbled across it about a year ago and man, I have learned tons from your videos. Keep up the awesome work!

[@cholling1]

I want to know when jaguars diverged into jag-wires (in the American Midwest) and jag-ewers (in Great Britain and Australia).

[@nothingmoore8790]

" Ghost lineage" I've never heard that before I like it a lot

[@highxdschoold3794]

Very interesting video! I also like the idea of another commentator who mentioned the fact that the old egyphts already seemingly knew something about the ghostly aspect of cats

[@ttomkatt1]

Anytime you say CAT, especially BIG CAT, you have my total and undisturbed attention!!

[@Renoroc]

Maybe the big cats used express VPN to mask their evolutionary origins

[@SayItAintTso]

underrated comment

[@SayItAintTso]

underrated comment

[@kvetchdreckmann8483]

"Ancestors whose existence we can in-fur, but not yet prove." [7:16]

[@canlale9869]

Number of big cats per continent: South America:1 Asia:4 Africa:2 Scientists: Big cats evolved in Africa because there are so many of them there. Big cats in Asia:* Meows Angrily*

[@jamesricker3997]

Africa 3 currently with two going extinct in the early the mid-1900s

[@canlale9869]

@@jamesricker3997 3? I only know lion and leopard in Africa.

[@canlale9869]

@ian miller puma(cougar) is not a big cat.

[@canlale9869]

@ian miller It is bot about the size but the grouping of them. All big cats are in genus Panthera but cougars genus is Puma( species name is Puma concolor)

[@canlale9869]

@ian miller It is a big cat. Now you happy?

[@kendracaruso4161]

PLEASE do an episode about the “so-called” American Lion!! I volunteer at a small museum with an Ice Age cave on grounds (Riverbluff Cave) which has trace evidence of an American Lion. I did not know that there was any controversy about the species, and I want to be up to date on my info, so I can give the most accurate tours possible! (And maybe some research?) Also, I have been *obsessed* with big, small, and domestic cats since childhood. I MUST KNOW!!!!

[@shellknight1323]

# TeamCatGang! But seriously another great video I also wouldn't mind seeing one on the evolutionary line 4 hyenas and dolphins preferably starting with hyaenodon and pikasitos

[@MustiToshiro]

Thank you for this in-depth video! As far as I know, the study at 6:07 also finally confirms that the clouded-leopard does indeed 100% belong to the family of big cats, as it's actually closely related to the lion, very interesting stuff.

[@CreatureDomain]

Yes. Pantherine Is The Subfamily Of Big Cats. Felinae Is Of Small Cats.

[@nkynative2850]

Its interesting how similar the skeletons are on todays big cats knowing how they look and behave drastically different from one another. For instance how lions hunt in coordinated packs, Jaguars will dive into rivers and catch crocs, Leopards drag their food up into trees. It makes me very curious about the looks and difference in behavior of the now extinct North American big cats like the American cheetah, American Lion and the Saber Tooth Tiger.

[@davidevans3227]

i've seen in documentary lions starving to death because they can't follow their prey? they have to stay in their own territory? it's made some hard watching..

[@MsSilvain]

You couldn’t make a real feline lover happier with anything else than just by making this great episode ❤️😻 Thank you!

[@Stratocaster893]

None of this explains why I feel the urge to cuddle them on site.

[@Julcess]

Unrelated to cats, but the fossil record of ancient plants to today and how they changed the land game. You’ve covered Giant Amphibians and Giant Insects, but I’d like to see something about the plants, even though they can be so broad and boring to many! Haha

[@horisontial]

This made me google "bay cats" and it improved my life. Those are some cheeky chunkies.

[@pistolpetepeterson]

Very informative. I had never really wondered where big cats originated from but this has me wanting to look up more information now

[@hollyodii5969]

Thank you! I requested a video on this subject! Ghost ancestry. Fascinating! Wish the video was a 10 hour mini series! Like I wish all Eons episodes were! Lol So much amazing information. Kallie is an excellent presenter too. Thx.

[@paigecoolest]

It’s fascinating to me how little we can find in comparison to older species

[@lyreparadox]

Could you do an episode on Ambopteryx, the recently discovered bat-winged dinosaur?

[@richardbidinger2577]

Maybe cats just got lucky and hit the genetic lottery very early on, hitting on a form that was pretty much perfect right out of the gate, so they didn't need to evolve a few dozen times to get where they are now.

[@livinglifeleona]

That kind of noble lineage explains my cat's attitude about things.

[@iancarreras9893]

One of the best episodes yet

[@i_r_d_f_c716]

1:44 the clouded leopard is me... cuz I’m *never involved in anything*

[@melindamonson5031]

When a cat knows it’s dying they usually go to the most hidden or hard to reach places they can find, maybe this is one of the reasons why we haven’t found many fossils. There are likely tons of those fossils in the Himalayas or other places that are impossible or nearly impossible for humans to get to.

[@AutodidactEngineer]

*These guys need their own TV Show!*

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

"Holding a key, you may infer the existence of a lock. However, do not make the mistake of assuming that yours is the only key." Quote from the video game Thief Deadly Shadow.

[@skyoo140]

PBS, is it possible that you could do a video on the icthyosaurs? Some theorys suggest that some of them could be larger then the blue whale, like the lilstock monster, trassic kraken and aust collsus?

[@ZuchinniOne]

Would it be possible to add a visual timeline to the graphics of videos like these in the future? It's often very difficult to keep track of the WHEN and the names for the various time periods do not easily allow lay-people to recognize the when they occurred.

[@DIEKALSTER8]

One of those channels I click on immediately when I see a new vid. Awesome!

[@crazycatlady39]

So cats hunting style as ambush predators suits them well! Like them pouncing on unsuspecting prey, they're just suddenly there and you have no idea where they jumped out from!