Scientists Discover World’s Smallest Cat Species in Ancient Chinese Cave

In a fascinating discovery linking China to its feline past, researchers have uncovered fossils of the world’s smallest known cat species in a cave once inhabited by early humans. The cat, identified as Prionailurus kurteni, lived around 300,000 years ago and was small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

“This cat is clearly smaller than a domestic cat. It is comparable to the smallest living cat, weighing around 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds),” said Qigao Jiangzuo, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. The findings, as reported by Live Science, shed light on the diversity of ancient feline species.

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