2 . 5 5 – 2 . 1 6 ▁million ▁years ▁ago . ▁Several ▁foss il ▁sk ull s ▁and ▁j aw b ones ▁were ▁exc av ated ▁in ▁north western ▁China . ▁Pan ther a ▁g omb as zo eg ensis ▁is ▁the ▁earliest ▁known ▁pan ther ine ▁cat ▁that ▁lived ▁in ▁Europe ▁between ▁ 1 . 9 5 ▁and ▁ 1 . 7 7 ▁million ▁years ▁ago . ▁ ▁Living ▁fel ids ▁fall ▁into ▁eight ▁evolution ary ▁line ages ▁or ▁species ▁cl ades . ▁Gen ot yp ing ▁of ▁nuclear ▁DNA ▁of ▁all ▁ 4 1 ▁fel id ▁species ▁revealed ▁that ▁hy brid ization ▁between ▁species ▁occurred ▁in ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁evolution ▁within ▁the ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁eight ▁line ages . ▁ ▁Mod elling ▁of ▁fel id ▁coat ▁pattern ▁transformations ▁revealed ▁that ▁nearly ▁all ▁patterns ▁evol ved ▁from ▁small ▁sp ots . ▁ ▁Classification ▁Trad itionally , ▁five ▁sub famil ies ▁have ▁been ▁distinguished ▁within ▁the ▁Fel idae ▁based ▁on ▁phen ot yp ical ▁features : ▁the ▁Pan ther inae , ▁the ▁Fel inae , ▁the ▁Ac in ony ch inae , ▁and ▁the ▁ext inct ▁Mach ai rod ont inae ▁and ▁Pro ail ur inae . ▁ ▁Living ▁species ▁The ▁following ▁table ▁shows ▁the ▁living ▁gener a ▁within ▁the ▁Fel idae , ▁grouped ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁traditional ▁phen ot yp ical ▁classification . ▁Est im ated ▁gen etic ▁diver gence ▁times ▁of ▁the ▁corresponding ▁eight ▁gen ot yp ical ▁evolution ary ▁line ages ▁are ▁indicated ▁in ▁million ▁years ▁ago ▁(