World's tiniest cat was a palm-sized tiddler that lived in China 300,000 years ago

By Emma Bryce published 24 hours ago

Scientists identified the tiny species of cat from a fossilized jawbone, which could date back as far as 300,000 years ago.

Researchers in China have found the remains of a cat that was so small it could have nestled in the palm of your hand. The fossils were discovered deep within a cave where early humans lived.

The pocket-size feline is a newfound species, Prionailurus kurteni, which the scientists described in a study published Nov. 19, 2024 in the journal Annales Zoologici Fennici. The researchers believe that the extinct animal, which could date as far back as 300,000 years, may be the smallest cat ever found.

The newly identified species is part of the leopard cat genus Prionailurus, a family of wild cats that still exists today in South Asia. While most modern-day leopard cats are closer in size to domestic cats — which reach average lengths of 28 inches (70 centimeters) and weigh at least 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) — the new species was more diminutive.

"This cat is clearly smaller than a domestic cat. It is comparable to the smallest living cat, [at around] 1 kilogram [2.2 pounds]," lead author Qigao Jiangzuo, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, told Live Science.

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https://www.livescience.com/animals/extinct-species/worlds-tiniest-cat-was-a-palm-sized-tiddler-that-lived-in-china-300-000-years-ago