The Natural History of Wild Cats: morphology, evolution, and classification

This book by a leading felid morphologist examines how cat anatomy, ecology, and evolution inform their classification, and it predates but anticipates the integrative approach later formalized by the Cat Classification Task Force. This entry outlines its treatment of skull and dental morphology, body size, coat patterns, and how these characters distinguish lineages and species. It is notable for cautioning against over-splitting on superficial traits and for connecting functional morphology to phylogeny. For readers tracking the history of felid systematics, the work illustrates the morphological reasoning that molecular methods would later test and sometimes overturn. Its author went on to chair major taxonomic syntheses, making this an instructive look at the foundations of modern cat classification.