Did cheetahs cross the Bering land bridge?

Question

It is thought that cheetahs evolved in North America within the last three million years. That means they must have crossed the Bering land bridge during the Ice Ages in order to spread to Asia and Africa. I understand there were larger species of cheetahs in the past, but I have a hard time believing cheetahs were ever hardy enough to survive in Ice Age Beringia. I mean, they're not exactly woolly. Was there a cheetah species adaptated to cold that is now extinct?

Answer 1

Definitely crossing the Bering land bridge was the only possible way for them to move to another place; there was no any technology that time to make it there by any way.

Anyway have these information which may help to answer your wondering:

>>The cheetah is considered the most primitive of all cats, and until recently was thought to have evolved approximately 18 million years ago, although new research puts the last common ancestor of all 37 existing species of feline more recently, at 11 million years.
>>The cheetahs probably evolved in Africa during the Miocene epoch (26 million to 7.5 million years ago), before migrating to Asia.
>>The extinct genus Miracinonyx was extremely cheetah-like, but recent DNA analysis has shown that Miracinonyx inexpectatus, Miracinonyx studeri, and Miracinonyx trumani (early to late Pleistocene epoch), found in North America and called the "North American Cheetah" are not true cheetahs, instead being close relatives to the puma.
>>The Puma is an inhabitant of Americas found in "equator" and "poles". As the "North American Cheetah" are close relatives to the puma, that would give an explanation how they survive in Ice Age Beringia.

Hope it made some sense.♥