Acinonyx kurteni

Acinonyx kurteni is an extinct Late Pliocene species of cheetah from China. It was described in 2008 and represents the most primitive cheetah species ever discovered. The discovery therefore supports an Old World origin of cheetahs. It shares some features with the modern cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus, such as enlarged sinuses for air intake during sprinting, but its teeth show primitive features.