Wild Cats

• Common physical traits of big cats are keen eyesight, round heads, whiskers, and retractable claws.
• Big cats have a flexible hyroid bone, enabling them to roar. Small cats have a rigid hyroid bone, which allows them to purr rather than roar

Lion

• Unlike many wild cat species, lions live and hunt in social groups called prides, —
• Around 20,000 lions found primarily in 4 African states, South Africa, Botswana, Tanzania, & Kenya.
• Can weigh anywhere between 300 and 500 lbs and life 12-16 yrs in wild, 25 yrs in captivity.
• fawn / tawny in color, with black on their extremities and mane.
• Males in the pride protect their territory, & females do the hunting.
• An adult lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles (8 kilometers) away.
• Unlike other cats, lions have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails.

Tiger

Biggest of the big cats, also rank among the most endangered big cats.

Approx. 5,000 - 7,000 tigers now live in the wild,

A tiger's stripes are like fingerprints—no two animals have the same pattern.

Tigers have been hunted for their skin, bones, & other body parts, used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Tigers are excellent swimmers & do not avoid water and live solitarily

Can weigh up to 600 lbs! and live solitarily.

Bengal tiger lives in forested areas around the Indian sub-continent.
— Population estimates of approx. 4,000

Indo-Chinese tigers live forested areas of South East Asian states such as China, Thailand and Myanmar.
-Ranks as the 2nd most populous with maybe around 2,000 living in the wild.

Sumatran tigers live on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.
-are the smallest of the tiger species & there might be around 400 living in the wild.

Siberian or Amur tigers hold the distinction of being the biggest of the world's big cats.
-They live along the forests of the Amur River, a natural boundary line between Russia and China on the east coast.
-They are endangered, however, population estimates show that 400-500 remained steady.

South China tigers live in south-central China,
-are commonly recognized as the most endangered tigers in the world.

3 species have already gone extinct:
— Bali Tiger * Javan Tiger * Hyrcanian Tiger

Cheetah

Ranked as the smallest, with an avg. size comparable to a big dog (approx. 4 feet long and 80 to 140 lb).

• Cheetahs are the fastest the world's fastest land mammal, reaching speeds of 70 miles /hr.
• Cheetahs do not roar, as the other big cats do. Instead, they purr.
• The mountain lion and the cheetah share an ancestor.
• In one stride, a cheetah can cover 23 to 26 feet (7 to 8 meters).
• They look a lot like the leopard but are more long and sleek.
• They are not built for, nor are they good at climbing.
• Cheetahs are very timid
• They feed mostly on gazelle and impala and are solitary hunters.
• The black “tear” going from their eye down the side of their nose is to help keep sunlight out of their eyes.
• In the wild, they would much rather prefer switching to a new food source rather than fighting any other predator for it.
• Wild cheetah population currently ranges between 9-12000. Namibia is home to the largest cheetah population (approximately 2,500).

Jaguar

New world cat found from the Southwestern United States, south to Argentina.

• Very adaptable cat, at home in a variety of habitats, as long as it contains an adequate supply of food and water.
• Is a stocky, muscular cat distinguished by its rosette markings, though there are also black jaguars (often mistakenly called black panthers) that appear to be solid black but actually have faint rosettes.
• Live and hunt in dense forests and kill their prey with one bite to the head to pierce the skull.
• It is said that they have no rivals because no other creature can conquer them.
• The name "jaguar" comes from a Native American word meaning "he who kills with one leap."
• Fossil records from two million years ago show evidence of jaguars.
• Considered vulnerable species. They are listed as endangered in the United States.

Leopard
The name leopard also refers to a group of big cats with the Latin name Panthera pardus.
Leopards weigh between 100 and 200 lbs.

• They have brown coats covered in black spots.
• Leopards hunt small to medium prey and are known for dragging their kill up into a tree to relax and enjoy their meal.
• Leopards are good swimmers, though not terribly fond of water.
• The strongest climber among the big cats, a leopard can carry prey twice its weight up a tree.
• Identified as a near threatened species.
• The Amur Leopard (Asia), the Javan Leopard, and the South Arabian Leopard are listed as critically endangered, moving to the verge of extinction.

Snow Leopard

• Lives in mountains of Central Asia
• Is a rare cat that lives in harsh, remote environments.
• Have white, yellowish, or gray fur with dark gray to black spots & rosettes.
• Coat developed as camouflage and protect in their snowy and rocky environment.
• Fur on their bellies can be 5” long.
• They can leap 6 times the distance that their body is long!
• Have large snowshoe feet,
• Their tails are as long as the length of their body,
• Average weight between 77 and 121 lbs
• Estimated population of about 2,500
• An endangered species

Clouded Leopard

Medium sized cats marked with over sized spots or clouds.

Native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, catching most of their prey in trees.

• Gets its name from its distinctive cloud-like markings. They have small dark spots interspersed with large dark spots that are lighter in the center (clouds).
• The tail, which is as long as the length of their body, is ringed.
• Legs are short, with their back legs being slightly longer than the front,
• Weigh between 22 and 45 lbs.
• They have the longest teeth of any of the cat species.

Mountain Lion or Cougar
Also known as the puma or mountain lion

• Is tawny in color with a white belly.
• Their body length is about 4 ½’ long, not including their tail.
• Males can grow up to 8 feet in length
• They can weigh anywhere from 75 to 250 lbs.
• Cougars are agile and can jump about 18’ high!
• Interestingly, cougars have a poor sense of smell