Research overview: the evolution of body size across the cat family

Cats span a remarkable size range, from the kilogram-scale rusty-spotted and black-footed cats to tigers weighing hundreds of kilograms, and body size has evolved repeatedly in different directions. This overview surveys what phylogeny and comparative analysis reveal about how body size changed across the felid radiation, the ecological drivers such as prey size and competition, and the recurrent evolution of large and small forms in separate lineages. It discusses the genetic and developmental pathways that regulate growth, the role of size in shaping hunting strategy and social behavior, and how mapping size onto the molecular phylogeny clarifies the evolutionary flexibility of the cat body plan.