Big Cats

This post features the family of big cats (and some small ones too). Big cats have several traits in common. The most prominent is that they are all meat eaters (carnivorous) and they're all territorial marking their territories with urine or claw marks.

Lion, Leopard, Tiger

LION

Lions are social animals. they live in groups of about 15 individuals called a "pride". The pride's social system is based on cooperation and division of labor. They hunt together and can catch animals that would generally outrun a single lion. Male lions grow up to nine feet long and on an average weigh around 415 pounds. The males most prominent feature is their mane, which gives the illusion of size.

TIGER

Tigers are the only "big cat" with striped fur. Their stripes are unique, like fingerprints, no two tigers have the same pattern.

LEOPARD

A leopard has the ability to growl and roar loudly when they're mad and gently purr when they're content. Leopards eat anything they can kill (lizards, rodents, insects, birds, bats, etc). their broad diet gives them the ability to survive in a variety of habitats. They range from all across Africa, Asia and parts of the Americas. 

CHEETAH

This graceful and elegant animal is the fastest of the "big cats" reching a speed of up to 70 mph in just 5 seconds. 

JAGUAR

The coat of the jaguar is generally yellowish to reddish-brown and covered with rosette like spots. Their coat helps to camouflage them in their habitat. 

PANTHER

The panther is a black leopard. They are elusive and almost ghostlike in their habitat (usually a rainforest). They are master at hiding and making themselves invisible. Panthers are the strongest climbers of the cat family and can pull other objects (such as their dead prey) up into a tree with them. 

COUGAR

A cougar is defined as a small cat because of their ability to purr instead of roar. Cougars have the loudest recorded purring ever documented. Cougars can jump as far as 25 feet across a stream and up to 18 feet into a tree.