{"id":"62551eb1-ff54-4cfb-8757-3ee5fd73f133","url":"https://www.popsci.com/science/extinct-american-cheetah-evolution/","domain":"popsci.com","outlet":{"name":"Popsci","country":null,"cred":null,"lean":null,"curated":false},"title":"Ancient American cheetahs were not exactly cheetah-like","plainHeadline":"Ancient American cheetahs were not exactly cheetah-like","rewrite":{"model":null,"at":null},"summary":["M. trumani DNA links closest relative to a big cat other than modern cheetahs.","Yukon samples show American cheetahs far north of previous estimates by up to 20 degrees latitude.","Fossils suggest M. trumani had long forelimbs and large nasal cavities, implying unique adaptations.","Diet analysis indicates Yukon specimens ate mostly fish, unlike Wyoming individuals that ate herbivores.","Genetic evidence points to a common ancestry with pumas around 2.6 million years ago."],"topics":[],"lang":"eng","publishedAt":"2026-09-04T15:00:00.000Z","ingestedAt":"2026-09-04T15:51:44.749Z","story":null}