Research overview: Miracinonyx and the pronghorn ghost-predator hypothesis

This overview examines the influential idea that the extraordinary running speed of the American pronghorn evolved as a response to predation by the extinct cheetah-like cat Miracinonyx. The pronghorn can run far faster than any living North American predator requires, an apparent mismatch often explained as a relict adaptation to a now-vanished fast hunter, sometimes called a ghost of predation past. The survey reviews the anatomical and ecological basis for casting Miracinonyx trumani as that ghost predator, the coevolutionary logic linking predator and prey performance, and the cautions and criticisms surrounding such adaptive-lag arguments. It discusses how the pronghorn-cheetah scenario illustrates the lasting ecological imprint of extinct big cats and why Miracinonyx remains a touchstone in discussions of predator-driven evolution.