研究人員在甘肅發(fā)現(xiàn)一種史前獵豹新物種化石,，表明最古老的獵豹來自中國而不是北美。這是史前獵豹新物種的一個(gè)近完整的頭骨,，其大小和形狀類似于現(xiàn)代獵豹的頭骨,。但它的一些牙齒特別原始，這表明這種學(xué)名為“Acinonyx kurteni”的中國獵豹處于獵豹進(jìn)化史的早期階段,。其它形形色色的特征還表明其頭骨相對(duì)其長(zhǎng)度來說是一個(gè)大腦殼，還有加大的前竇,。我國這一重大發(fā)現(xiàn)發(fā)表在12月30日出版的《美國國家科學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)》上,。
獵豹這種最快的陸地動(dòng)物以112公里每小時(shí)的沖刺速度追捕獵物。據(jù)國際自然與自然資源保護(hù)聯(lián)合會(huì)(IUCN)統(tǒng)計(jì),，目前估計(jì)全球的獵豹只有7500只,，處于高度瀕危的狀態(tài)。非洲之外惟一已知的一種獵豹?jiǎng)t更加瀕危,，僅僅在伊朗有100只左右,。伊朗的獵豹是一種亞種。
其實(shí),，科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)的獵豹化石遍及非洲,、歐洲,、亞洲、印度次大陸(indian subcontinent)和北美,，年代都在320萬-2000年之間,。此新發(fā)現(xiàn)的中國獵豹屬于上新世晚期，為215萬-255萬年前,。
先前發(fā)現(xiàn)的北美史前獵豹被科學(xué)家認(rèn)為是歐洲古老巨型獵豹的近親,，從而讓一些研究人員猜測(cè)最早的獵豹可能出自北美，之后穿越白令海峽,，從阿拉斯加來到西伯利亞,。但新發(fā)現(xiàn)挑戰(zhàn)了這一猜測(cè)。
此發(fā)現(xiàn)還引發(fā)另一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn)：一種理論認(rèn)為現(xiàn)代獵豹和美洲獅共享同一祖先,，但美洲獅的化石記錄在美國只能追溯到40萬左右,。由于我國這一發(fā)現(xiàn)如此古老，為獵豹起源于亞洲提供了強(qiáng)有力的證據(jù),。我國中科院的科學(xué)家依據(jù)化石牙齒發(fā)現(xiàn)了另一種獵豹,，學(xué)名為“Sivapanthera linxiaensis”,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
PNAS December 29, 2008, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0810435106
A primitive Late Pliocene cheetah, and evolution of the cheetah lineage
Per Christiansena,1 and Ji H. Mazákb
aZoological Museum, Universitetsparken 15, 2100 Copenhagen O, Denmark; and
bShanghai Science and Technology Museum, 260 Yan-an Road (East), Shanghai 200002, People's Republic of China
Abstract
The cheetah lineage is a group of large, slender, and long-limbed cats with a distinctive skull and dental morphology, of which only the extant cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is present today. The lineage is characterized by having abbreviated, tall, and domed crania, and a trenchant dentition with a much reduced, posteriorly placed protocone on the upper carnassial. In this article, we report on a new discovery of a Late Pliocene specimen from China with an estimated age of ≈2.2–2.5 million years, making it one of the oldest specimens known to date. A cladistic analysis confirmed that it is the most primitive cheetah known, and it shares a number of unambiguous derived cranial traits with the Acinonyx lineage, but has more primitive dentition than previously known cheetahs, demonstrating that the many unusual skull and dental characters hitherto considered characteristic of cheetahs evolved in a gradual fashion. Isolated teeth of primitive cheetahs may not be recognizable as such, but can be confused with, for instance, those of leopards or other similar-sized pantherine cats or pumas. The age and morphology of the new specimen supports an Old World origin of the cheetah lineage, not a New World one, as has been suggested. We name the new species Acinonyx kurteni in honor of the late Bj?rn Kurtén.
