Cats are among the most diverse and successful mammalian predators on the planet, from lions on the savanna to ocelots in the jungle to domestic cats in homes and homepages worldwide. This episode, we look at what makes cats unique, where they got their start, what their fossil history has looked like, and finally how one species ended up being among the most widespread species on Earth. In the news: African and American crocs, ancient owls, Fiji pigeons, and prey-breaking snakes. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:04:00 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:32:00 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:03:30 Patron question: 01:46:30 Check out our blog for bonus info and pictures: http://commondescentpodcast.wordpress.com/ New merch at the Common Descent Store! http://zazzle.com/common_descent Featuring art by Rob Soto! https://www.rob-soto.com/ Follow and Support us on: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/CommonDescentPC Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/commondescentpodcast Instagram: @commondescentpodcast PodBean: https://commondescentpodcast.podbean.com/ iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-common-descent-podcast/id1207586509?mt=2 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCePRXHEnZmTGum2r1l2mduw The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org. Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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