Excavations From a Historical Shipwreck off the Coast of Florida Uncover First Feline Settlers of the U.S.
Today, cats are present in many U.S households as pets, but the introduction of these feline creatures in the country remains a mysterious affair. Analysis of a shipwreck has shed some light on their arrival in America, stated IFLScience. Findings regarding this analysis has been discussed in detail in the journal American Antiquity.
Excavations at a historical shipwreck off the coast of Florida revealed the remains of two domestic cats (Felis catus). The examinations showcased that these creatures arrived in the part of North America that would later become the U.S. around 500 years ago. This discovery pushes back the arrival of these feline creatures to 1559 C.E., making them the earliest known domesticated cats in the country.
The shipwreck was called Emanuel Point II, which was revealed as a result of a hurricane in Pensacola Bay, according to Live Science. It was discovered in 2006 in Florida. The ship was part of a Spanish colonizing expedition. It was being led by the conquistador Tristán de Luna y Arellano, and set voyage from Mexico. The ship, along with eleven others, was hit by a storm while being anchored near the new Spanish settlement of Santa María de Ochuse.
The domestic cat remains were identified as those of a juvenile and an adult. The team analyzed the cat remains using zooarchaeological, genetic and isotopic methods. Results gave experts insights about the subjects' ancestors as well as their diet.
Researchers found that the cats had in their diet protein from beef, poultry, fish, and pork, stated IFL Science. This implies that sailors were sharing food with these cats, and they weren't just surviving on hunting rats on board. Furthermore, experts did not find any markings on the remains that suggested them being used for consumption. Researchers also did not find any proof that suggested that the cats were being skinned for their fur, which was a common practice in medieval and early modern Europe of that time. The study claims that these cats possibly acted as companions to the sailors.
Genetic analysis suggested that both cats descended from European relatives, according to Live Science. Researchers are yet to fully understand, how the cats got on board. The team has certain speculations, one being that they slipped aboard, while the ship was anchored in Mexico, other being that they were intentionally brought into the ship, to hunt rats.
These findings are valuable, as researchers have been trying to find out for a long time how cats were introduced in North America from the Middle East, according to All That's Interesting. Before the study, researchers thought that domestic cats were transported from the Canary Islands to La Isabela in the Dominican Republic in the Americas. Some also claim that cats were present on Christopher Columbus' ship. All these speculations gave experts an idea about how the feline beings entered America, however, insights about their entry in America were spotted for the first time in Emanuel Point II.
The cats may or may not have arrived for the first time in 1599, but they became popular in America from the early 1600s, according to IFL Science. In just a matter of a few centuries, these nonchalant creatures have made a permanent home in this country, and are now present in around one-third of the nation's households, according to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.