Response to Comment by Faurby, Werdelin and Svenning.

Stephen J O’Brien,Pavel Dobrynin,Anne Schmidt-Kuntzel,Agostinho Antunes,Carlos Driscoll,Laurie Marker,Warren Johnson,Klaus Peter Koepfli,Eduardo Eizirik

doi:10.1186/s13059-016-0942-z

Abstract

Response to Comment by Faurby, Werdelin and Svenning.

Highlights

Faurby, Werdelin, and Svenning raise some interesting and valid points around the interpretation of the genomics and fossil data on the history of the African cheetah, a species that has fascinated humankind for millennia
We suggested two scenarios: the earliest—a migration of North American cheetahs out of North America >100,000 years BP, and a second—when cheetahs went extinct from North America 10,000–12,000 years ago
Werdelin, and Svenning argue cogently that North American cheetah fossils are all from the genus Miracinonyx, which is not closely related to modern Acinonyx cheetahs, which occur in Africa today and in Eurasia throughout the Pliocene and Pleistocene fossil deposits

Summary

Introduction

Werdelin, and Svenning raise some interesting and valid points around the interpretation of the genomics and fossil data on the history of the African cheetah, a species that has fascinated humankind for millennia. Werdelin, and Svenning argue cogently that North American cheetah fossils are all from the genus Miracinonyx, which is not closely related to modern Acinonyx cheetahs, which occur in Africa today and in Eurasia throughout the Pliocene and Pleistocene fossil deposits.

Results

Conclusion