Texas Monthly: The Hunt for Wildcat Fossils in Central Texas

by Asher Elbein, writer.

In a dark corner of Natural Bridge Caverns, near San Antonio, wildcat bones lay undisturbed for thousands of years. Scientists are just beginning to unlock their mysteries.

There were many ways to die underground during the Ice Age in Central Texas. Sinkholes in the karst hills, slick-sided and treacherous, swallowed unwary animals. Saber-toothed cats dragged their prey back to underground dens, leaving behind generations of bones, including those of the cats themselves, lying beside their victims in the dark. Treacherous paths in the depths, far from the sun, waited for those with the urge to explore.