Research overview: the fossil record of the puma lineage in the Americas

This overview surveys the fossil history of the puma lineage, the New World group that includes the living puma and jaguarundi and is closely tied to the extinct American cheetah-like cat Miracinonyx. Genetic and fossil evidence indicate that this lineage diversified in the Americas after ancestors dispersed from the Old World, giving rise to fast, adaptable cats that ranged widely across North and South America during the Pleistocene. The survey reviews how puma fossils are identified, the relationship between the puma and Miracinonyx revealed by ancient DNA, and what the lineage's history shows about felid dispersal and convergence. It discusses how the puma survived the end-Pleistocene extinctions that claimed its cheetah-like relative, and why its fossil record illuminates the broader story of New World cat evolution.