Lions are the longest cats in the world. The biggest cats in the world
It probably won't be wrong if I say that the most popular wild cat is the lion. No wonder they call him the king of beasts.
The lion lives in Africa and India. Few people know, but in India there is a reserve in the state of Gujarat called the Gir forest. So in this reserve a small population of Indian lions has been preserved.
Lions are the only cats that constantly live in packs. For example, cheetahs can temporarily unite in small groups, for example, three individuals. And lions constantly live in a team, a flock of lions is called a pride.
Of all cats, and perhaps of all predators, lions are distinguished by a mane.
These large cats have pronounced sexual dimorphism. What does it mean? In fact, everything is very simple, in lions, boys and girls are very different from each other, not only internally, but also externally. Lionesses do not have such a lush mane.
Lionesses occupy a subordinate position in the pack. They mainly hunt and the livelihood of the flock depends on the lionesses.
Servals also live in Africa. Although they are not large, they compete with cheetahs. Yes, and they can just be their prey probably.
Serval is a cat with big ears. She likes to live in thickets of small vegetation, so she is called a bush cat.
In the thickets of shrubs, the serval perfectly masks its color.
Like the cheetah, the serval is tamed. He is even kept in apartments as a pet.
Caracal lives in the deserts of Africa and Asia. Therefore, the caracal is also called the desert lynx, and outwardly it looks like a lynx.
The name caracal comes from Turkish word karakulak, which changes into "black ear". The ears of caracals are really black.
Despite the outward resemblance to a lynx, the caracal is genetically closer to the serval. In captivity, these cats interbreed.
Although the leopard is a large predator, it is inferior in size to lions and tigers. And not much inferior.
The main habitat of the leopard is Africa, although it can be found in Asia up to China. But only in Africa, its population is in normal condition, if so you can write about an animal from the Red Book
Photo of tigers
So, moving closer to Asia, let's pay attention to tigers - this is one of the symbols of Asia.
The wild tiger is one of the most formidable predators. They live and hunt alone. Only during mating season female and male can hunt together.
Now let's move to South America. Here the largest representative of the cat family is the jaguar.
The jaguar has a magnificent color, somewhat similar to the color of a leopard. Outwardly, these cats are very similar.
Black jaguars are found in nature. This is not a separate species, but unusual option color.
The Indians created legends about these cats, endowing them with mystical powers.
Photo jaguarundi
Another cat whose range is located mainly in South America is the jaguarundi. This cat lives in the savannas and leads a rather hidden lifestyle.
Dark jaguarundi. 
Outwardly, the jaguarundi resembles a mixture of a cat and a weasel, the shape of the animal is very elegant and graceful. The jaguarundi hunts during the day.
Cougar photo
The other large wild cat of America is the cougar. It lives in North America and is a very common predator there. 
Although its appearance is very impressive, especially in winter period, when his lush winter coat makes him visually larger, but he is about the size of an ordinary domestic cat.
Manuls are not tamed. They can live in an aviary, but they will not become tame animals. It is generally illegal to keep them at home, as the species is dying out and is listed in the Red Book.
Many wild cats are becoming rarer due to population growth. People destroy habitats, food supply and simply engage in poaching.
The cat family is very cautious, mysterious, graceful and unusually attractive animals. Unfortunately, many of them are already listed in nature protection books or even on the verge of extinction, hunting is prohibited for them. We decided to make Top 20 most beautiful representatives from the cat family living all over the world and occupying a wide variety of habitats. You can also check out the Rating of the most beautiful cat breeds.
In addition, on the site you can see a collection of photographs on the topic: Friendship of a man and a lion, Friendship of a man and a tiger.
20. Serval (bush cat)
Predatory mammal of the cat family. Servals are distributed almost throughout Africa, excluding the Sahara, foreststhe equatorial zone and the extreme south of the mainland (Cape Province). North of the Sahara (Algeria, Morocco) this beast is now extremelyrare, but still quite common in East and West Africa. There are about 14 subspecies. HThey inhabit open spaces with shrubs and grassy thickets, settling, as a rule, near water. Theyavoid deserts, dry plains and tropical rainforests, keeping to the edges of the latter.It is an object of fishing, as its skin is used for fur; it is also valued in parts of Africa due toyour meat. It is also exterminated due to attacks on poultry.As a result, in the densely populated areas of Africa, the number of servals has dropped markedly. Quite easily tamed andcan be kept in captivity as pets. Serval males can mate with ordinary domestic cats, giving hybrids -"savannah".
19. Jaguarundi
View predatory mammals, which also includes the genus Puma. Outwardly, the jaguarundi somewhat resembles a member of the familymustelids or viverrids: she has an unusually elongated, flexiblebody in short strong legs and a long thin tail, which generally gives it a resemblance to a weasel or Madagascar fossa.Demonstrates great flexibility in the choice of habitats. These cats were found in the savannas, in the thorny thickets of chaparral, duringhumid tropical forests. Features of the structure of the body allow him to easily make his way among the thick grass and shrubs.Jaguarundis often settle near water - in wetlands, along the banks of streams, rivers and lakes. In the mountains they climb to a height of up to3200 m above sea level. Secretive animals leading a predominantly solitary lifestyle (with the exception of the mating season).Unlike most cats, jaguarundis are active mainly during the day; the peak of their activity falls on 11hours of the morning. Jaguarundis are terrestrial animals, however they can climb and swim well. Due to its wide range, this animal is notbelongs to the protected species, although in the southern United States it has become rare. Little is known about its abundance and ecology.
Wild cat of Southeast Asia: in the eastern Himalayas, Sumatra and Borneo. Marble cats are slightly larger than domestic cats. Their length is about 55 cm, not including the 50 cm tail. The coat pattern is reminiscent of a clouded leopard. Their immediate habitat is tropical forests. Being a nocturnal hunter, the marbled cat feeds on rodents, especially squirrels, toads, birds and insects. Unlike the Bengal cat living on the ground, it moves mainly in the branches of trees, and thus both species do not compete with each other. Hunting for it is prohibited in Bangladesh, China (only in Yunnan), India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand.
wild small cat from the genus of Asian cats. A close relative of the Bengal cat. The smallest member of the cat family. Lives only in India and Sri Lanka. The species is threatened with extinction as the species has fewer than 10,000 adults.representatives with a constant decline, due to changes in the natural habitat.Ceylon rusty cats live in the rainforest, while the Indian population inhabits dry open areas.Rusty cats are nocturnal and live alone. Their behavior is very close to that of a Bengal cat. To theirprey include mice, lizards and insects. Despite being good at climbing trees, rusty cats most of the timeusually carried out on the ground.
16. Cheetah
A predatory mammal of the cat family, the fastest land animal. Noticeably different from other members of the cat family. The body is slenderwith well-developed muscles and practically no body fat, it even seems fragile. The claws are partially retractable, which is not typical for cats and except forthe cheetah is observed only in the fishing cat, Sumatran and Iriomote cats. Cheetahs are diurnal predators. They are huntingmainly on medium-sized ungulates: gazelles, impalas, wildebeest calves, as well as on hares. Three cheetahs can defeat an ostrich.87% of the cheetah's prey is Thomson's gazelle. Cheetahs usually hunt early in the morning.or in the evening, when it is no longer very hot, but still light enough. They navigate more by sight than by smell. Unlike other cats,cheetahs hunt by stalking prey, not by ambush. In pursuit of the victim, it develops speed up to 110-115 km / h, accelerates to 75 km / h in2 seconds. In Africa, the cheetah is the weakest of the large predators. Hyenas, leopards and lions can take prey from cheetahs,taking advantage of the fact that the cheetah needs up to half an hour to rest after the chase. The cheetah only eats the animals it has killed.himself, sometimes drags prey into the bushes,to hide it from predators and eat it later, but more often it hunts again each time.
Margay is sometimes kept in South America as a domestic cat. Forest margays differ from ordinary pets in strong long legs, in addition, they are somewhat larger. The length of a cat without a tail is about 60 centimeters. They are also called a smaller copy of the ocelot. But the margay's tail is special - two-thirds of the length of the entire cat, it is decorated with stripes and rings. Margay is also called the long-tailed cat. He balances with his tail, moving in crowns along thin branches. It lives in trees and finds its prey there. Just like an ordinary cat, margay hunts lizards or small birds. The only one of all felines, the margay can twist its ankles 180 degrees and climb a tree just like a squirrel - up or down. Due to deforestation and the diligence of hunters, margays are becoming rarer, and are already recognized as an endangered animal. Alas, in zoos they breed very poorly.
A wild cat from the genus Catopum that lives in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. Previously, it was attributed to the now abolished genus of golden cats. Today it is believed that its resemblance to the golden cat found in Africa is based on convergent evolution. The species is named after the Dutch zoologist Konrad Temminck. More than twice the size of a normal domestic cat. Its length is 90 cm, not counting the tail, which is 50 cm long. The range of the Temminka cat stretches from the Himalayas and southern China to the Indochinese Peninsula, and it is also found in Sumatra. Inhabits forest biotopes. Due to deforestation and hunting, the Temminka cat has become a rare animal. In China, its meat is considered a delicacy, and its bones are used in traditional Chinese medicine. In Thailand, there are a lot of legends around her, according to one of which it is believed that burning the hair of the Temminka cat drives away tigers from the surroundings, and carrying at least one hair from her wool, according to local signs, protects against tiger attacks.
Predatory mammal from the cat family, common in Central America, northern and centralparts of South America. The northernmost region where ocelots live is in the US state of Texas. Its population is concentrated intropical forests, ocelot avoids open spaces. Ocelots live alone and hunt primarily at night. Duringduring the heat of the day, they like to hide in the hollows of trees. Despite their excellent ability to climb trees and stones, they huntearth. Ocelot prey includes mainly small mammals and birds, howeversometimes they do not disdain snakes. The largest specimens of the ocelot also overpower small donkeys and pigs.Due to the intense hunting for it, the ocelot has become an extremely rare animal in our time. Thanks to new interstateunder the agreements, the hunting of ocelots, as well as the sale of any products made from ocelots, is prohibited.
A member of the cat family that lives in Southeast Asia. It vaguely resembles a leopard and is considereda fairly ancient species, as well as a possible ancestor of the current large felines. Its value corresponds to approximatelyshepherd size. Clouded leopard is found in southeast Asia: from southern China to Malacca and from the eastern Himalayas toVietnam. The subspecies found in Taiwan is extinct. His biotopeare tropical and subtropical forests located at altitudes up to 2000 meters. Live alone and move around normallyin the thickets. The long tail helps them keep their balance in difficult environments. Among the feline smokyLeopards are the best at climbing trees. They also swim well. Their prey includesdeer, wild boars, monkeys, birds, goats, reptiles. They wait for their victims on the branches and suddenly jump on them from above.Because of the precious skin, the clouded leopard was hunted a lot in the past. Today it is threatened by poaching, butgreatest danger to its conservationrepresents the progressive deforestation of the tropical forests that are its home.
Type of cat family. The dune cat is the smallest among wild cats: its body length is 65-90 cm,with 40% occupied by the tail. The feet are covered with hard wool, which protects the soles of the paws from burns with hot sand.The fur is thick and soft, protecting the body from low night temperatures. The range of the dune cat looks like a strip startingin the Sahara (Algeria, Morocco, Chad, Niger) and through the Arabianpeninsula to Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan) and Pakistan. Lives exclusively in hot, dryareas. Its habitats are very diverse, from sandy deserts. Dune cats are strictly nocturnal.Only the Pakistani subspecies is active mainly at dusk in winter and early spring. From the heat of the day they are saved inshelters - in the old holes of foxes, corsacs, porcupines, as well as in the expanded minks of ground squirrels and gerbils.Cats are carnivorous; their diet includes almost all the game that they can find. Its basis is made up of gerbils,jerboas and other small rodents, lizards, spiders and insects. Sometimes tolai hares and birds whose nests are ruined.The dune cat is also known for its hunting of poisonous snakes (horned viper, etc.). In winter, she sometimes approaches the villages,but does not attack domestic cats and birds. Most of the moisture dune cats get from food and can for a long timego without water. The natural enemies of dune cats are snakes, large birds of prey and jackals.Sometimes they dig shallow holes or pits on their own, where they hide in case of danger. Ppractically devoid of vegetation, to rocky valleys overgrown with shrubs. They are not huntedhowever, they are caught for sale. They also suffer from the destruction of their natural habitat.In general, the dune cat is the most “prosperous” species among wild cats.
Predatory mammal of the cat family. His second name - Pallas cat - he received in honor of the German naturalistPeter Pallas, who discovered manul on the coast of the Caspian Sea in the 18th century. Manul is an animal the size of a domestic cat.The fur of the manul is the most fluffy and thick among the cats. Distributed in Central and Central Asia, from South Transcaucasia andwestern Iran to Transbaikalia, Mongolia and Northwestern China. Manul habitats are characterized by sharply continentalclimate with low temperatures in winter and low snow cover; it is most numerous in areas with little snow. Inhabitsmanul steppe and semi-desert areas. leads a sedentary lifestyle. Active mainly at dusk and early morning; sleeps during the dayin shelter. The slowest and most clumsy of wild cats. Manul feeds almost exclusively on pikas and mouse-likerodents, occasionally catches ground squirrels, tolai hares, marmots and birds. Manul is not adapted to fast running. At risk forit is characterized by hiding; he also escapes enemies by climbingon stones and rocks. An alarmed manul makes a hoarse rumbling or a sharp snort.Manul is rare or extremely rare, and its numbers continue to decline. In some places it is on the verge of extinction,listed in the Red Book Russian Federation, on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened. manul huntinguniversally prohibited.
A species of mammals from the genus lynxes, the northernmost of the cat species; in Scandinavia, it is found even beyond the Arctic Circle.It was once very common throughout Europe, but by the middle of the 20th century it had been exterminated in most countries of Central Asia.and Western Europe. Successful attempts have now been made to revive the lynx population.forests, taiga, although it occurs in a variety of plantations, including mountain forests; sometimes enters the forest-steppe and forest-tundra.She climbs trees and rocks perfectly, swims well.She also survives well in the snow (beyond the Arctic Circle), catching fur-bearing animals. With an abundance of food, the lynx lives settled, withlack - roams. It can travel up to 30 kilometers per day. Hares form the basis of its diet. She alsoconstantly hunts grouse birds, small rodents, less often - small ungulates, such as roe deer, musk deer, spotted andreindeer, occasionally attacks domestic cats and dogs, in addition - foxes, raccoon dogs and other medium-sized animals.According to Russian zoologist Mikhail Krechmar, not a single confirmed case of a lynx attack on a person is known.Moreover, the lynx is known as one of the most easily tamed animals.
Predatory mammal of the cat family. For a long time, the caracal was attributed to lynxes, to which it looks similar, but a number ofgenetic features allocated it to a separate genus. Despite this, the caracal stands closer to lynxes than other cats.Although outwardly the caracal looks like a lynx, morphologically it is closest to the puma. The caracal is also close to the Africanserval, with which it crosses well in captivity. Found in the savannas, deserts and foothills of Africa, in the deserts of the Arabianpeninsulas, Asia Minor and Central Asia. Not numerous in the CIS: found in the deserts of southern Turkmenistan, along the coastThe Caspian Sea reaches the Mangyshlak Peninsula, in the east it sometimes appears in the Bukhara region of Uzbekistan.The caracal is active mainly at night, but in winter and spring it also appears during the day. Sheltered in rock crevices andburrows of porcupines and foxes; sometimes they are used for several years in a row. Its main food is rodents (gerbils,jerboas, ground squirrels), tolai hares, partly small antelopes, in Turkmenistan - gazelles. Sometimes it gets hedgehogs, porcupines,reptiles, insects, small predatory animals like foxes andmongoose, young ostriches. It can steal poultry, attack lambs and goats. Caracals are easily tamed. In Asia(India, Persia) with hand caracals hunted hares, pheasants, peacocks and small antelopes. In Africa, especially Southcaracal is quite common and is considered a pest. There is a special culture of caracal hunting: it is lured by instruments,imitating the cry of a wounded hare or mouse, and at night they shoot from under the headlights. In addition, in South Africa, caracals are used,to drive away birds (mainly guinea fowl) from the runways of military airfields.Asian subspecies of caracal are much rarer.
7. Leo
A species of carnivorous mammals, one of four representatives of the panther genus, belonging to the subfamily of big catswithin the cat family. It is the second largest living cat after the tiger -the weight of some males can reach 250 kg. The historical range of the lion was much wider than the modern one - even in the earlyin the Middle Ages, the lion was found throughout Africa, except for deserts and rainforests, and it could also be seenin the Middle East, Iran, and even in a number of places in southern Europe (for example, he lived in part of the territory of the modern south of Russia,rising to about the 45th parallel north). In North and Northwest India, the lion was a common predator. Howeverhuman persecution and habitat destruction have led to the fact that in Africa the lion survived only south ofSahara, its range is currently broken. In Asia, a small population exists in the Gir forest (in the Indian stateGujarat). Lions are considered vulnerable species due to the irreversible decline in their population. For the last twodecades, the number of lions in Africa has decreased by 30-50%. Populations are vulnerable outside protected areas.The reason for the decline is not fully understood, but the biggest threats are habitat loss and conflict. with a person.
6. Black Panther
The name of dark-colored individuals of a number of species of large cats, which are a genetic color variant - a manifestationmelanism caused by a gene mutation and is characteristic almost exclusively of females. An example of a strong spread of mutation,which leads to melanism, in the feline population, is the populationleopard in Malaysia, where about 50% of the animals are black in color.The black panther is not a separate species. Most often it is a leopard or a jaguar. The existence of melanistic cougarsnot confirmed. The word "panther" is often applied not only to individuals with a black color, but also to others with a normal color.(reddish or spotted), even white - the so-called "white panthers".
5. Jaguar
Big cats. The only representative of the genus in North and South America. The third largest in the world, and the mostlargest representative of the cat family in the New World. The range of the species extends from Mexico south to Paraguay and northArgentina. The main habitats of the jaguar are tropical rainforests and grasslands. The lifestyle of jaguars is solitary.The jaguar is a crepuscular predator. His most active hunting hours are after sunset and beforedawn. Its main prey is capybaras and ungulates like mazama deer, peccaries and tapirs, but it also attacks birds,monkeys, foxes, snakes, rodents. The jaguar also hunts turtles - its powerful jaws are able to bite through their shell. In contrastfrom the cougar, the jaguar willingly and often attacks livestock. The predator is an excellent swimmer and rarely misses the prey that is looking forrescue in the water. He also digs out of the sand on the ocean coastturtle eggs, sometimes throwing themselves at sleeping alligators or snatching fish from the water. Over much of its former rangethis species is almost or completely exterminated. The change by people of the natural habitats of jaguars, fishingfor the sake of a valuable skin, as well as shooting by cattle breeders who feared for the safety of their herds.The jaguar is listed in the international Red Book and is protected in many countries. Shooting jaguars in limited quantitiesallowed in Brazil, Mexico and some other countries. Hunting for trophies is allowed in Bolivia.
4. Leopard
In the XX century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, in the Red Book of Russia, as well as in the security documents of other countries. However, in many African countries, the relatively high number of leopards makes it possible to allocate an annual quota for their prey. The big cat, however, is much smaller than the tiger and lion. The range of the leopard is wider than the range of any other member of the cat family, with the exception of the domestic cat. The plasticity of the species is explained by the secretive way of life and its ability to hunt a wide variety of animals. By the middle of the 20th century, the range of the leopard in the Caucasus was catastrophically reduced, its numbers are negligible, and in fact this subspecies is on the verge of complete extinction. Inhabits forest, partially forest-steppe regions, savannahs and mountainous regions of Africa and the southern Front and southern half of East Asia. The leopard feeds mainly on ungulates: antelopes, deer, roe deer and others, and during the period of starvation - rodents, monkeys, birds, reptiles. Sometimes attacks domestic animals (sheep, horses). Like a tiger often kidnaps dogs; foxes and wolves suffer from it. It does not disdain carrion and steals prey from other predators, including other leopards. The number of leopards throughout the range is steadily declining. The main threat to it is associated with changes in natural habitats and a reduction in food supply. The main concern is the poaching of animals for the needs of oriental medicine.
3. Puma (mountain lion, cougar)
Type of cat family. The word puma comes from the Quechua language. The closest relatives of the cougar are the jaguarundi and the extinct North American genus Miracinonyx. The cougar is the second largest feline in America; only the jaguar is bigger than her. Historically, the range of the cougar was the most extensive among all land mammals America. Even now, in terms of the breadth of distribution, the cougar is comparable (of the cats) only with the red lynx, forest cat and leopard. Initially, cougars were found almost everywhere from southern Patagonia to southeast Alaska; the area of its distribution quite accurately coincided with the range of its main prey - various deer. Now in the United States and Canada, the cougar has survived mainly in the mountainous western regions. in the east North America the cougar was completely exterminated; the exception is a tiny population of the Puma concolor coryi subspecies in Florida. Cougars lead a strictly solitary lifestyle. Puma hunts mainly at night. Its diet consists mainly of ungulates: black-tailed, white-tailed, pampas deer, wapiti (American red deer), elk, caribou, bighorns and livestock. However, the cougar can eat a wide variety of animals - from mice, squirrels, opossums, rabbits, muskrats, porcupines, Canadian beavers, raccoons, skunks, armadillos to coyotes, bobcats and other cougars. They also eat birds, fish, and even snails and insects. Unlike tigers and leopards, the cougar does not distinguish between wild and domestic animals, attacking livestock, dogs, cats and birds when the opportunity arises. In doing so, she slaughters more animals than she can eat. Despite the fact that cougars serve as an object of hunting and their range is declining due to environmental destruction, most subspecies are quite numerous, since cougars easily adapt to life in different landscapes. It is also interesting to note that now some people have begun to tame cougars as their pets.
2. Snow leopard (irbis or snow leopard)
A large predatory mammal from the cat family that lives in the mountain ranges of Central Asia.Weighs up to 55 kg. Due to the inaccessibility of the habitat and the low density of the species, manyaspects of its biology. At present, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically small; in the 20th century, it was included in the Red BookIUCN, in the Red Book of Russia, as well as in the security documents of other countries. As of 2012, snow leopard hunting is prohibited.The range of the snow leopard in central and southern Asia covers the territory of mountainous regions with an area of approximately 1,230,000 km² andextends through the territory of the following countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, China, India,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.The irbis is a characteristic representative of the fauna of the high rocky mountains of Central and Central Asia. Among the large catsthe irbis is the only permanent inhabitant of the highlands. It mainly inhabits alpine meadows, treelesscliffs, rocky areas, rocky outcrops, precipitous gorges and is often found in the snow zone. Active at dusk, but sometimes during the day.The snow leopard is able to cope with prey three times its mass.The main prey of the snow leopard is almost everywhere and all year round- ungulates. it should be noted that due to the constanthuman persecution, the number of snow leopards is continuously declining.
1. Tiger
A species of carnivorous mammals of the cat family, one of the four representatives of the panther genus, which belongs to the subfamilybig cats. Among the representatives of this species are the largest animals of the cat family. The tiger is one ofthe largest land predators, yielding in mass only to the white and brown bears. Nine subspecies of the tiger have been identified.In the XX century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, in the Red Book of Russia, as well as in the security documents of other countries.As of 2012, tiger hunting is banned worldwide. The tiger is an exclusively Asian species. Historical range of the tiger(now strongly dissected into separate populations, sometimes very distant from one another) is located on the territory of the FarEastern Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and the countries of Southeast Asia, including the Sunda Archipelago(Indonesian islands). In the wild, tigers mainly feed on ungulates, sometimes they can hunt domestic animals,such as dogs, cows, horses and donkeys. Throughout its range, the tiger is at the top of the food pyramid and almostdoes not experience competition from other predators.
The cat family is large and diverse, although all of its representatives have a mass common features. Among the cats, there are species related to the largest land predators. First of all, these are, of course, lions and tigers. Let's see what sizes are the most big cats.
Tigers can reach a length of 2.5 meters without a tail and weigh up to 275 kg. Individual specimens, however, can exceed 3 meters in length and weigh more than 300 kg. At the same time, tigers are characterized by great variability, and different subspecies differ significantly in size. Island species are smaller than mainland species. The largest tigers are the Amur and Bengal. Tigers are not only the largest predators, but also the most cruel. They are very fiercely protective of their territory. The tiger mercilessly kills a stranger who accidentally enters it. However, this behavior is typical only for males, females are more tolerant of each other; males are completely supportive of females, they can not only allow them to be in their possessions, but also share prey with them. Even in the brutal tiger heart there is a place for love.
The Amur tiger is one of the largest cats in the world. Another, no less huge cat is a lion. Individual representatives of this species are not inferior in size to tigers, although in general they are slightly smaller. Lions are distinguished by a specific color of the body, as well as a mane, because of which, apparently, he deserved the nickname of the king (or king) of animals. It is noteworthy that in early medieval Europe to have long hair("mane") was allowed only royalty, the rest of the inhabitants of the country were required to cut their hair short. Female lions usually do not have a mane and are much smaller in size than males. Like tigers, lions have formed several subspecies, one of the differences of which is just the size of the mane.
The lion is the king of animals and a large representative of the cat family. Tigers and lions belong to the genus Panthera, which also includes the leopard and jaguar. These are also very large animals and the largest cats. But such a species as the “panther” itself does not exist in nature: this is how it is customary to call leopards and jaguars “suffering” from melanism - congenital black color body. This, of course, is not a disease, but simply a rare genetic anomaly.
But these four species are still not the largest cats. The largest representatives of cats are ligers, which first appeared in captivity in the Novosibirsk Zoo. The largest liger named Hercules is almost 4 meters long and weighs 400 kg; this is the real giant among predators. A liger is a cross between a male lion and a tigress. Theoretically, such hybrids can appear in nature, but in the natural environment, the ranges of tigers and lions almost never intersect.
Liger Hercules - the largest cat in the world The largest domestic cats
The savannah is recognized as the largest breed of domestic cats - its weight can reach 15 kg, and its height at the withers is 60 cm. These cats are easily trained, like to walk on a leash with the owner, and in general resemble dogs in some character traits.
Savannah is the largest domestic cat Many are also familiar with Maine Coons - also very large cats that can exceed a meter in length. These cats are distinguished by tassels on their ears, which make them look a bit like a lynx.
All cats are beautiful, but big cats of the wild are perhaps the most beautiful animals on earth. In zoos - the only place where you can easily observe major representatives families of cats, cages with tigers, lions, leopards are always surrounded by a crowd of spectators. It's hard to say why people like these ferocious predators so much. Perhaps for us they are the embodiment of an unattainable harmony of strength, beauty and dexterity.
Cheetahs are very fast animals, but they are not ideal hunters.
Photo: Philip J. Briggs/PantheraCheetah cubs are born in the "mantle" - with a strip of long hair along the back. This helps them hide in the grass.
- Proud of the powerful engine of your car and the fact that you can rush from a traffic light, leaving everyone far behind? This is because a cheetah has never stopped in front of a zebra next to you. This animal accelerates from zero to 64 km/h in a few jumps, and accelerates to 96 km/h in just three seconds! The maximum recorded running speed of a cheetah is 103 km/h.
- Although cheetahs are very fast animals, they are not ideal hunters. Only in half of the cases, the pursuit of a cheetah ends with the capture of prey. To grab the prey, the predator makes the last super effort, which can last only 20-60 seconds, and if the animal misses, then it remains only to retreat. Thus, huge energy costs for pursuit are wasted. In this sense, ambush hunting is much more economical and efficient.
- A fossil cheetah, now extinct, has been discovered in North America. One piece of evidence that cheetahs once lived there is a living species of ungulates that lives on the continent. This pronghorn is the fastest of the antelopes, capable of speeds up to 48 km/h. Now such speed of the pronghorn is redundant - none of the current predators is able to catch up with them, and once it saved them from the ancient cheetahs.
- Cheetahs are able to make do with very little water, they can only drink once every three to four days.
- The cheetah as a biological species is millions of years old, but its future fate is under great threat. In 1900, there were about 100,000 cheetahs in the world, now only 9-12 thousand remain in the wild, of which about 200 are in Iran.
Cougars are masters at hiding, it is very difficult to notice this big cat in nature.
Photo: Brad Boner/Panthera 
Photo: Mark Elbroch/Panthera Cougars usually give birth to two to four cubs, which stay with their mother for up to 1.5–2 years.
- This species claims the Guinness Book of Records for the number of names - only in English language- there are about forty of them. The cougar is called the mountain lion, the North American lynx, the ghost cat, the panther, and even the mountain screamer.
- Cougars can't roar. Instead, they make chirping or long, howling sounds, and, of course ... affectionate purring.
- Cougars hunt from ambush, often letting prey within a single, but powerful and accurate jump. Thanks to this tactic, these animals have developed extraordinary abilities. In one jump, a cougar can jump up to 4.5 meters from a place, and jumping on prey, especially from a hill, cover a distance of 12.5 meters.
- It is not for nothing that they say: there is fish for lack of fish and cancer. The main prey of cougars are deer, but if there is a shortage of them, then they are content with everything that is edible, including insects. It seems that when catching the latter, no less dexterity is needed.
- The population of cougars in the world is quite stable, and only the subspecies living in Florida (North America) now has only about a hundred individuals.
Jaguars have a unique coloration compared to other big cats in the wild.
Photo: Luke Hunter/Panthera Camera traps help scientists study these elusive animals.
- The skin of the jaguar is painted with intricate patterns of spots called "rosettes". Like rosebuds, such spots have a distinct dark edge, a lighter core, on which, in a leopard, a number of smaller dark brown spots are placed.
- Jaguars used to be found all over South and Central and North America, but now the narrowing of habitats and hunting have reduced their numbers to 15,000 individuals. So the jaguar is an endangered species.
- Usually cats do not like water, but the jaguar completely refutes these stereotypes. This big cat in nature simply enjoys the water - enjoys swimming, diving, playing in the water and even fishing in rivers and streams. There is evidence from naturalists that jaguars dip their tail into the water to lure fish.
- The jaguar has the strongest jaws of all feline species, their compression force is more than 900 kg! This is twice as much as that of a lion, and according to this indicator, the jaguar is second only to the hyena, the record holder among mammals. With its jaws, the jaguar easily bites through the shell of a turtle, not to mention any, the thickest bone.
- Translated from the language of the Indians, the word "jaguar" means "killing with one jump", which indicates the incredible hunting skill and strength of the animal.
Leopards hunt on the ground, but they feel at home in the trees.
Photo: Laila Bahaa El Din/Panthera 
The leopard's spots help them blend in with the colorful backdrop of their habitat.
- Leopards live throughout Africa and Asia, and have adapted perfectly to the most diverse environment- from dense jungles and grassy savannahs to deserts.
- Leopard females bring cubs at any time of the year. Usually it is one or two kittens that live with their mother until they are two years old, learning to hunt.
- Leopards are not the largest cats in nature, however, they are much stronger than one would expect. The leopard has a stocky, muscular body with strong muscles, and therefore they effortlessly drag even the largest prey up the tree to hide it from scavengers.
- Leopards are not picky and are ready to eat anyone who is within a jump distance. So their menu often includes not only wild pigs, but also snakes, monkeys and even porcupines.
- There are nine subspecies of leopards, and each of them is in danger of extinction. In the most critical situation is the Javan leopard, represented on the planet by only 200 individuals, and the Amur leopard, which has only 20 animals.
The lion is the only social animal in the cat family.
Photo: Neil Midlane/Panthera Male lions rarely take part in the hunt, but they earn their prey by protecting the pride.
Photo: Nick Garbutt/Panthera All pride females take care of the cubs, regardless of which of them is the biological mother.
- Members of the lion pride show touching tenderness to each other on vacation, and during the hunt they act as a well-coordinated team to repel the victim from the herd.
- If conditions are favorable and there is plenty of food, female lions can remain in the pride for the rest of their lives. But the males, having reached puberty, leave the family, forced out by the dominant tribesman. Such loners sometimes stray into "teenage gangs" and roam the savannah in the hope of creating their own pride, which they will protect from outsiders.
- The terrifying roar of a lion can be heard at a distance of five kilometers.
- Lions and tigers are very close species, anatomically extremely similar to each other. Looking at their skeletons, only experts can tell which is the lion and which is the tiger.
- Since the 1950s, the lion population has halved, and now these big cats have disappeared from 80% of their historical range. According to the latest data, less than 30,000 lions live in Africa today.
Snow leopards can cover record distances
Photo: Christian Sperka/Panthera Snow leopards live in the extreme conditions of the cold, barren mountains of Central and South Asia.
- In snow leopards, the forelimbs are shorter than the hind ones, and their paws are larger. This unique body structure allows snow leopards to maintain balance and move easily in mountainous terrain. Thanks to their long and strong hind limbs, leopards make dizzying jumps - up to 14 meters long - over rocky ledges, pursuing no less agile prey.
- Snow leopards cannot roar like a lion. The sounds they make are like hissing, meowing, puffing and growling.
- Snow leopards are relatively small, weighing only 27 to 54 kilograms, but can catch prey three times heavier than themselves.
- Snow leopards overcome vast distances. A record of one cat was recorded, which passed more than 43 kilometers in one night and 150 km in five days. Such amazing endurance helps snow leopards move from one area to another in search of prey, which is quite rare in the cold mountainous area where snow leopards live.
- There are between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards left in the world. It is difficult to give a more accurate figure due to the extremely secretive lifestyle that these animals lead. But secrecy, unfortunately, does not help them - the destruction of natural habitats, human intervention in nature and poaching are inexorably reducing the number of the species.
Tigers are solitary and are the largest cats in the wild.
Photo: Nick Garbutt/Panthera Larisa Solodovnikova
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Our planet is inhabited by 37 species of representatives of the cat family. Most of them are large animals, predators. Lions and tigers, panthers and cougars, leopards and cheetahs are considered the largest wild cats in the world. Members of this large family have distinctive features in behavior, color, habitat, etc.
In nature, there are animals that amaze with their incredible size. In this article we will talk about some of them, and you will also find out the name of the largest wild cat in the world.
Cheetah
An animal that combines the features and characteristics of both cats and dogs. Long and slender legs like dogs short body and the ability, like cats, to climb trees. It's not the most big cat in the world. Her height does not exceed 90 cm with a weight of 65 kilograms. The body is slender with well-developed muscles and almost no body fat, it may even seem fragile.
The head of a cheetah is small, with high-set eyes and small, rounded ears. The cheetah's short coat is sandy with black spots.
Most of the population of these predators is in African countries: Angola, Algeria, Botswana, Benin, Congo, etc. There are not very many cheetahs left in Asia: according to unconfirmed reports, habitats have been preserved only in the central part of Iran.
Animals prefer flat and large spaces, because the hunting style of these wild cats is quite unusual: they are able to imperceptibly approach prey at a distance of less than 10 meters, and then make a swift dash, while developing tremendous speed. However, they can not pursue their prey in this way for long - only 400 meters. If she managed to escape during this time, the cheetah rests and waits for a new victim.
puma
It is one of the largest wild cats in the world and the second largest in America. The height at the withers is about 70 cm with a body length of 180 cm. The average weight of a predator is 100 kg. The body is elongated, rather massive, the hind legs are longer than the front ones, the head is small, proportional to the body. Color - gray or reddish.
The cougar lives mainly in South America or in the west of North America, as well as in the Yucatan. The animal settles in almost any area - from the plains to the mountains. This cat is not too fastidious in food, can eat ungulates, and does not disdain insects. Cases of attacks on people were recorded, as a rule, these were people short stature walking alone, or children.
Leopard
Of the largest wild cats in the world, the leopard is considered the most insidious predator. Despite the fact that its size is smaller than that of a tiger or a lion, it is in no way inferior to them in terms of jaw power. Height at the withers does not exceed 80 cm, and weight - 100 kg. The length of the body can be more than 195 cm. The leopard is common in the savannas, mountainous regions of Africa and in the southern half of East Asia.
The Predator has its own characteristics:
- climbs trees beautifully;
- easily overcomes water obstacles;
- can eat fish;
- sits in ambush for a very long time;
- goes hunting alone at night;
- to protect his prey, he drags it up a tree.
Leopards are considered more aggressive, whose color is dominated by black, which animals get due to the high content of the hormone melatonin.
a lion
This mighty animal is one of the largest wild cats in the world. A lion, whose weight reaches and sometimes exceeds 250 kg, with a height at the withers of 123 cm and a body length of up to 250 cm, is a formidable and dangerous predator. The color of the thick coat with a dense undercoat varies from sandy to dark brown. Characteristic features lion is a luxurious mane, which only males have, and a tassel at the tip of the tail. These predators live mainly in Africa, small populations have survived in India.
The lion notifies the district about going hunting with a formidable roar, which is heard several kilometers from the location of the animal. These are the only members of the family living in prides ( big families), led by the leader of the pack, young and strong lion. During the hunt, the males are in ambush, and the females drive the prey.
Tigers
These beautiful animals are considered to be the largest wild cats in the world. The size and weight of these giants is impressive. Often the weight of a tiger exceeds 250 kg, and the height of the animal at the withers is 1.2 meters. The body length of an adult male often exceeds three meters.
Predators have a strong and muscular body, a large round head with a convex skull, a beautiful and bright color - rich red with black stripes. These animals are now preserved on the territory of 16 countries - Bhutan and Bangladesh, India and Vietnam, Iran and Indonesia, China and Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand and Russia. It is believed that there is a small population in the DPRK, but this information has not been officially confirmed.
Tigers live in humid tropical forests, bamboo thickets in the tropics, mangrove swamps and dry savannahs, semi-deserts, on bare rocky hills and in the north in the taiga. Their feeding territory extends in different areas for 300-500 km. The predator hunts in the evening and in the morning. Attacks from an ambush, sniffing out its victim on the trail.
Tigers are remarkably clean. Before each hunt, the predator must bathe to beat off the smell, which can frighten away the future victim. A person can become the easiest prey for this cat. But it attacks only when people violate the boundaries of its territory or the food base of the predator dries up. Nowadays, cases of tiger attacks on people are extremely rare. This is due to a decrease in the population of almost all species of this animal. All subspecies of tigers are steadily declining in numbers and are included in the Red Book.
Ligers and tiglons
And finally, the largest wild cat in the world (you can see the photo below) is a hybrid of a female tiger and a male lion. Ligers grow rapidly, gaining up to 500 grams per day. The offspring from a lioness (mother) and a tiger (father) are called tiglons. Such animals are as rare as ligers, but inferior to them in size.
Ligers usually grow larger than their parents, and tiglons are close in size to tigers. Ligers, like tigers, love to swim, but are more sociable, which is typical for lions. They can only live in captivity. It is quite natural that this hybrid cannot be born in nature, since tigers and lions do not have a common habitat, they do not intersect in the wild.
Liger is the largest wild cat in the world. More recently, there was an erroneous opinion that it grows throughout life due to hormonal characteristics. But then it was found that after reaching the age of six, this animal stops growing, like tigers and lions.
Standing on its hind legs, the liger reaches a height of four meters. The females of these cats weigh 320 kg, and their body length is three meters. Quite often they retain the ability to reproduce, while males are sterile. This is one of the problems of reproduction of such hybrid offspring.
Cubs that were born from a liger mother are called liligers. There are data on maximum weight such an animal in 540 kg, and in the USA, in the state of Wisconsin - 725 kg. The Guinness Book of Records in 1973 was replenished with information about the largest league at that time. The weight of this hybrid cat was 798 kilograms. The animal lived in South Africa, in one of the zoological centers.
Hercules
Today, the largest wild cat in the world, Hercules, lives in Miami Park. The animal is 16 years old. He was born in 2002 from the union of a lion and a tigress. He took a worthy place in the Guinness Book of Records due to his weight of 408 kilograms. The height of the animal is 183 centimeters, and the diameter of the muzzle is 73 centimeters. Hercules is a unique liger, because he was born only because his parents were kept in the same enclosure.
Scientists believe that the artificial breeding of these animals is associated only with geographical features. In the distant past, when the habitats of tigers and lions coincided, ligers were not something special in the wild, and these giants regularly updated their population. And today there is no possibility of mating of the largest wild cats in vivo.
Reasons for the huge growth
The genetic material of the lion-father transmits the ability to grow cubs, and in the female tigress, the genes do not prevent the growth of offspring. As a result, the size of the ligren actually remains out of control, and the cub is actively growing.
- The claws of these animals reach 5 cm in length.
- Ligers have both spots and stripes in color.
- Today, no more than 20 ligers live on our planet, kept in zoos around the world.
- In Russia, the first ligren was born in the Novosibirsk Zoo in 2012.
