A discovery in the Bluefish Caves and a mine site in northern Yukon initially suggested the presence of an ice-age puma or cougar. However, DNA analysis conducted by Molly Cassatt-Johnstone from the University of California revealed otherwise. The findings surprised Yukon paleontologist Grant Zazula, who learned that the bones thought to be cougars were actually from cheetahs.
The identification of a Yukon Miracinonyx, or the extinct American cheetah, marked a significant breakthrough for Cassatt-Johnstone. Her research, recently published in Current Biology, offers new insights into the diet and habitat of the ice-age cat.
Researchers were puzzled by the discovery of American cheetah remains in the Arctic tundra, contrary to previous assumptions that they hunted pronghorns in grassy plains. Beringia, the region where Asia and North America once connected, including parts of Russia, Alaska, and the Yukon, posed a unique challenge for understanding how Miracinonyx thrived there.
Stable isotope analysis, a forensic technique utilized in the study, provided valuable information about the cheetahs’ diet and environment. The research team, including collaborators from Canada and the U.S., uncovered that Yukon cheetahs primarily fed on fish, a behavior uncommon among past and present-day cats.
This revelation sheds light on the species’ adaptive strategies in a region where they coexisted with formidable predators like Beringian lions and giant bears. The study also highlighted the genetic proximity of Miracinonyx to North American pumas and emphasized the low genetic diversity within the cheetah population, potentially contributing to their extinction.
Yukon paleontologist Grant Zazula proposed renaming the unique northern population from ‘American Cheetah’ to ‘Yukon Cheetah,’ underlining the ongoing discoveries and narratives that each new bone unearthed in the region can reveal.