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7h ago

Ancient DNA Shows ‘American Cheetah’ Was a Puma Relative, Not a True Cheetah

The finding reshapes how scientists see the species’ diet, range and extinction risk by revealing northern populations that ate mostly fish and genetic signs of high‑latitude adaptation.

© Velizar Simeonovski
Two Miracinonyx hunt in this artistic rendering. A new study says the cheetah-like species which roamed the Yukon 30,000 years ago developed a unique fish diet to survive. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — Julius Csotonyi (Mandatory Credit)
Image
Miracinonyx trumani and the ecosystem this species lived in. Image credit: Julius Csotonyi.

Overview

  • A Current Biology study published Sept. 4, 2026 sequenced four high‑coverage nuclear genomes and used bone isotope tests to reclassify Miracinonyx trumani as a sister lineage to modern pumas rather than to African cheetahs.
  • Three Yukon fossils originally thought to be pumas extended the species’ known range into Beringia and dated to roughly 31,000–34,000 years ago, more than 20 degrees of latitude farther north than previous finds.
  • Stable isotope chemistry shows a sharp ecological split: the Yukon individuals carried nitrogen signatures consistent with diets dominated by salmon and other fish while a Wyoming specimen ate terrestrial herbivores.
  • Genomic analyses estimate Miracinonyx and Puma concolor last shared a common ancestor about 2.6 million years ago and identified low overall genetic diversity plus disabled genes tied to circadian rhythm, traits linked to high‑latitude living and possible vulnerability.
  • Researchers say the cheetah‑like body of Miracinonyx reflects convergent evolution and that the study, led by Molly Cassatt‑Johnstone at UC Santa Cruz, forces a rethink of Pleistocene predator niches and the meaning of the ‘American cheetah’ nickname.