Big cat

Big cat refers to large wild felids of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe including such creatures as the Lion, Tiger and Leopard.

The term is a casual descriptive one, without any strict scientific meaning, and is used slightly differently by different experts. All cats are athletic carnivores and efficient predators, whose power is larger than their size might suggest. Big cats range in size from several hundred pounds, in the case of larger Tigers and Lions, down to the roughly human weight Cheetahs and Pumas. The big cats are distinguished from their much smaller brethren, like the lynx, bobcat, and domestic house cat, by their massive size. Big or small, all of the various species of cat are amazingly similar in both structure and behavior.

The big cats include Earth's most powerful predators, but most of their kind are currently endangered in the wild.

The largest cats are members of the genus Panthera. One meaning of the phrase big cat refers to only the four species of Panthera: (lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars). Unlike cats (large or small) in other genera, members of the genus Panthera can roar. Consequently, the ability to roar is sometimes mentioned as a distinguishing characteristic of the big cats.

Many people consider that other very large cats, besides those classified as Panthera, are "big cats", too. There are four additional species of cat who weigh as much as humans: (cheetahs, snow leopards, clouded leopards and pumas). Some medium-sized cats like Eurasian lynxes may weigh as much as a child, 55 lb (25 kg), but are not considered big cats. Although none of the big cats preferentially hunt humans as a usual prey animal in the wild, every single one of the big cats is capable of easily killing a human being if sufficiently provoked to attack.

Species

Genus Panthera:

• Tiger, Panthera tigris (Asia)
• Lion, Panthera leo (Africa, Gir Forest in India; in southeast Europe and the Middle East in classical times)
• Jaguar, Panthera onca (the Americas; from Mexico to northern Argentina)
• Leopard, Panthera pardus (Asia and Africa)

Other "big cats":

• Cheetah, Acinonyx jubatus (Africa)
• Puma, Puma concolor (North and South America)
• Snow Leopard, Uncia uncia (mountains of central Asia)
• Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa (Southeast Asia)

Hybrids:

• Tigon (male Tiger/female Lion)
• Liger (male Lion/female Tiger)
• Jagulep (male Jaguar/female Leopard)
• Lepjag (male leopard/female jaguar)
• Congolese Spotted Lion (Jagulep or Lepjag/Lion)
• Marozi (male Lion/female Leopard)
• Leopon (male Leopard/female Lion)
• For other hybrids see Panthera hybrid

Big cats of unconfirmed status (either a new species, a subspecies of a known type, or legendary):

• Onza (Pre-Columbian Mexico)

Medium-sized cats:

• Genus Lynx:
  • Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Europe and Asia)
  • Bobcat, Lynx rufus (North America)
  • Canada Lynx, Lynx canadensis (North America)
  • Iberian Lynx, Lynx pardinus (Europe)
• Ocelot, Leopardus pardalis (Mexico, Central and South America, and southwestern Texas, USA)
• Caracal, Caracal caracal (Africa)
• Serval, Leptailurus serval (Africa)

Threats to Big Cats

The principal threats to big cats are habitat destruction and hunting, including so-called canned hunts, in which captive animals on reserves are shot for sport.

Big cats are also threatened by the exotic pet trade, which captures and breeds them for profit via sale to private owners. In the United States, 19 states have banned ownership of big cats and other dangerous exotic animals as pets, and the Captive Wildlife Safety Act[1] bans the interstate sale and transportation of these animals. Nevertheless, there are still an estimated 15,000 big cats kept captive in America, and only a small percentage of them are in accredited zoos.[2] The remainder are in private homes and nonaccredited roadside zoos, where the quality of their care is questionable: Statistics indicate that 98 percent of big cats die within two years of being bought as pets.[3]

External links

• NatureFootage Big Cat pictures and video clips
• How big are the Big Cats - an article at Big Cats Online which includes a chart comparing the body lengths of several cat species.
• ARKive - images and movies of endangered big cats
• Humane Society of the United States -- article on big cats as pets
• Big Cat Rescue -- sanctuary dedicated to care and conservation of big cats