Spotted predatory cat. The largest cats on Earth: lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs

Big cats include the largest representatives of the cat family. And yet, the main criterion for belonging to big cats is not size, but structure.

So, big cats include lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard, but do not include species such as puma and cheetah.

Let's get to know these most beautiful and graceful predators in the wild.
a lion

A lion. King of beasts. One of the four representatives of the panther genus, belonging to the subfamily of big cats. It is the second largest cat after the tiger - the weight of males can reach 250 kg. But in terms of shoulder height, the lion holds the record among all cats.

This species originally evolved in Africa about 800,000 - 1 million years ago.

The appearance of a lion is very characteristic: males are much larger than females and have a luxurious mane up to 40 cm long. No other cat has anything like it. The mane visually increases the size of the lion, and also helps to intimidate other males and attract females who prefer “men” with more luxurious hair.

Both lions and lionesses have a fluffy tuft at the end of their tail - a “tassel” about 5 cm long. It is absent at birth and begins to appear at about 5 months of age.

The color of a lion is usually yellow-gray in various shades, the mane is the same color as the skin, but it can be dark, even black.

At the end of the 20th century, evidence of the existence of white lions appeared. Before this, for hundreds of years they were considered the fruit of legends traveling around South Africa:

These are very rare cats:

Lions are super predators, i.e. occupy the top position in the food chain. However, besides humans, there is another predatory animal that can pose a threat to the lion - the crocodile. If they collide, these two species can cause very serious injuries to each other. Lions are capable of attacking crocodiles when they come onto land, while the most ancient reptiles attack lions when they enter the water.

Unlike other cats, they do not live alone, but in special family packs - prides. Hunting and obtaining food are usually done by females, who act in groups. Males are engaged in protecting the territory, driving out uninvited guests from them. Another reason why males do not hunt is the mane, which can interfere with camouflage. The lion's fangs are 8 cm long, so these cats are capable of killing quite large animals. Despite the fact that lionesses have very sharp teeth, prey is killed in most cases by strangulation.

In nature, lions live from 10 to 15 years; in captivity they can live more than 20 years. True, males rarely live more than 10 years, since constant fights with other lions significantly reduce their life expectancy.

Unfortunately, these big cats are considered a vulnerable species due to their irreversible population decline. Over the past 20 years, the number of lions in Africa has decreased by 35–50%.

Jaguar

This is the third largest cat in the world, and the largest cat in the New World. One of the four representatives of the panther genus. The body length without tail is usually 120-185 cm, and the weight in some cases is up to 120 kg. The record in nature is 158 kg. In the Guarani language, yaguara meant “beast that kills with one leap.”

The oldest remains of a jaguar date back to the late Pliocene (approximately 2 million years). According to morphological characteristics, the jaguar is most closely related to the leopard, very similar to it, but larger and heavier.

The main body color of the jaguar is closer to sand. There are spots scattered across the body that are darker than the general background of the body: solid, rings and rosettes. There are also completely black jaguars that look like panthers:

Unlike lions, jaguars have a solitary lifestyle. Like all cats, jaguars are territorial predators; The hunting area of one jaguar occupies 25-100 sq. km., depending on the landscape and the amount of prey, and is usually a triangle.

The jaguar is a crepuscular predator. He hunts after sunset and before dawn. The main prey of the jaguar are capybaras and ungulates such as deer and peccaries, although it also hunts turtles: its powerful jaws can even bite through the shell. When attacking, this cat tries to injure the victim with a strong blow at the moment of the fall. This is a one-shot hunter: if the prey runs away, the jaguar never pursues it.

The jaguar's main method of hunting is ambush in a tree or in tall grass. Also, prey will not be able to escape in the water - jaguars are excellent swimmers.

In a significant part of its former range, this species has been almost or completely exterminated. The Jaguar is listed in the International Red Book.

Snow Leopard

The irbis, or snow leopard, lives in the mountains of Central Asia. It is a fairly large cat, but smaller than a leopard, with a long, flexible body, relatively short legs and a very long tail. Length including tail - 200–230 cm, weight - up to 55 kg. Recent research suggests that snow leopards were probably common between 1.2 and 1.4 million years ago.

The fur color of the snow leopard is light smoky gray with ring and solid dark spots. Since the snow leopard is an inhabitant of the high rocky mountains of Central and Central Asia, its fur is very thick, its length on the back reaches 55 mm - it provides protection from the cold, harsh conditions of its habitat. Thus, in the Himalayas, the snow leopard was encountered at an altitude of 5400-6000 meters above sea level.

Snow leopards lead a solitary lifestyle. A low prey area of 1,000 sq km can only accommodate up to 5 cats. The snow leopard makes its lair in caves and rock crevices.

The snow leopard is able to cope with prey three times its mass. In most cases, he hunts before sunset and at dawn, attacking from behind cover. The snow leopard tries to grab large prey by the throat and then strangle it.

Currently, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically low. In the 20th century, this cat was included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and in the Red Book of Russia.

Leopard

The leopard is another representative of the big cats, significantly smaller in size than the lion and tiger, one of the four representatives of the panther genus. Outwardly, it looks like a jaguar, reduced in size. Body length without tail is up to 190 cm, weight is up to 75 kg. According to fossil remains, the first ancestor of the leopard appeared in Asia 3.8 million years ago.

The skin of the animal is a golden background, on which solid or ring-shaped black spots are randomly scattered. Typically, the fur color in winter is paler and duller than in summer. As with the jaguar, melanistic leopards called black panthers are found in the wild (usually in Southeast Asia). The leopard is perhaps one of the most graceful and beautiful cats.

The leopard is a solitary and nocturnal animal. He climbs trees so deftly that sometimes he even catches monkeys. However, the leopard hunts mainly on the ground, using two techniques: sneaking up on prey and waiting in ambush.

To prevent hyenas from getting their prey, leopards drag it into trees. The area of a leopard's hunting area can reach 400 sq. km. depending on the region, terrain and abundance of prey.

Like lions and tigers, there are cannibals among leopards; usually these are old or sick individuals who are unable to hunt their usual prey. A person is a very easy target for this predatory cat. Thus, in the 20s of the 20th century, the “Rudraprayag cannibal” operated in India. This leopard counted 125! cases of officially registered murders of people.

For many peoples, the leopard is a symbol of cruelty, ferocity, aggressiveness, and fearlessness. Unfortunately, the leopard is an endangered species. In the 20th century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book and the Red Book of Russia.

Clouded leopard

The clouded leopard is a large cat that lives in southeast Asia and vaguely resembles a leopard. This is a fairly ancient species, as well as a possible ancestor of the current large cats.

The clouded leopard is the smallest “big cat”: its size corresponds approximately to the size of a shepherd dog. Body length - 80–100 cm, weight - up to 21 kg. A characteristic feature of this cat is its long tail.
Small but toothy:

Clouded leopards are found in southeast Asia and live solitary lives. Among cats, clouded leopards are the best at climbing trees, even better than the leopard itself. They wait for their victims (deer, wild boars, monkeys and birds) on branches and suddenly pounce from above.
The pattern on the coat of a clouded leopard is unusual: large, unequally shaped black spots are scattered on a yellowish background. The entire species is considered endangered.

Tiger

The tiger is the largest and heaviest cat and one of the largest land predators, second in mass only to the white and brown bears, one of the four representatives of the panther genus. Already about 2 million years ago, tigers were widespread in eastern Asia.

Tiger subspecies vary greatly in size and weight, but the largest are the Bengal and Amur. Males can reach up to 2.4–2.8 meters in length without a tail and weigh up to 275 kg, and in some cases up to 300–320 kg. The record in captivity is 423 kg for the Amur tiger. For comparison, the weight of lions usually does not exceed 250 kg with approximately the same length.

The tiger's entire body is covered with stripes, the color of which varies from brown to completely black, and the tail always ends in a black tip.

Due to mutation, very rare animals exist in nature - white tigers. The frequency of their appearance is one individual in 10,000 with normal coloring. They are Bengal tigers with black and brown stripes on their white fur and blue eyes. There are currently 130 white tigers in zoos:

An even more rare color change is gold. There are only 30 golden tigers in zoos around the world:

Tigers are solitary and territorial predators. The territory of one male is usually 60–100 sq. km. When hunting, tigers use two techniques: sneaking up on prey, moving in short, careful steps, often crouching to the ground, and waiting in ambush.

During an attack, a tiger can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h on almost any terrain, and can also jump to a height of up to 5 meters and 9-10 meters in length. Sometimes the weight of this powerful cat’s prey is 6-7 times its own.

These majestic cats are also an endangered species. In the 20th century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book and the Red Book of Russia.

Biology classifies felines into two subfamilies: big cats and small cats. But in the distribution of cats into these groups, it is not the size itself that plays a role, but the structure of certain bones. Therefore, representatives of the largest cats in the world are found not only among the subfamily of big cats. Pumas and cheetahs are sometimes as large as panthers, although they belong to a small group.

In first place among large cats is the tiger, one of the representatives of the panther genus. Most tigers live in Asia and feed on ungulates. These predators prefer to hunt alone, in the morning or late afternoon, and they see in the dark six times better than a person.

Some characteristics of a tiger:

weight varies from 180 to 300 kg;
life expectancy up to 15 years, in captivity 25 years;
the largest of the subspecies, the Amur tiger, reaches a length of three and a half meters;
the predator accelerates to 60 km/h.

The most common subspecies of tiger, the Bengal, consists of 3,000–4,500 individuals. Three of the nine species have already become extinct, the rest are endangered.

A noble, proud and majestic predator living in the African savannas. Lions live in families or prides. Only females hunt, often in groups. Of the entire cat family, lions are the tallest.

Some facts about lions:

weight reaches 250 kg;
life expectancy 10-14 years, in captivity can reach up to 20 years;
The size of the lion in length is from 2.7 to 3 meters. One of the largest lions was 3.3 meters long;
The usual running speed of these animals is 50 km/h, the maximum is 80 km/h.

The lion species is at risk of becoming extinct; their population in Africa has declined by 40% in recent decades.

Liger

Interesting features of this unusual species:

the liger Hercules was listed as the largest cat on Earth;
has a weight of 400 kg and a height of 3.7 meters;
there are 25 individuals of this species in the world;
ligresses are capable of childbearing, which is not typical for hybrids;
ligers love to swim.

A leopard is a large cat, smaller than a tiger or lion. Lives in Africa, Asia, the Far East in Russia. Has spots all over the body. There are also black panthers that also have spots, but due to melanism they do not show through.

Leopard Characteristics:

weight in males is up to 80 kg, in females up to 65;
body length, excluding the tail, 0.9-1.9 meters;
life expectancy 12-15 years, in captivity – up to 23 years;
Leopards climb trees and can swim and fish.

The population of these animals is steadily declining: five species are already listed in the Red Book, and the number of Far Eastern, or Amur, leopards is 60 individuals. This is due to the constant cutting down of trees in the main habitats, poaching and a decrease in the food supply.

The jaguar belongs to the genus panther. It lives in South and Central America, feeding on both small rodents and adult mammals. He can swim and climb trees. It spends its life alone, meeting other representatives of its species only during reproduction.

Some features of this predator:

body weight - 60-90 kg;
body length, not counting the tail, 1.1-1.8 meters;
life expectancy 10 years, in captivity - up to 25 years;
the jaguar hunts at night and prefers to sleep during the day;
the animal is listed in the Red Book.

The genus of panthers is distinguished by the fact that the spots on the skin of predators are unique, like human fingerprints.

Snow Leopard

The snow leopard, or snow leopard, belonging to the genus Uncia, lives in the mountains of Central Asia. They live alone in mountain caves, travel a lot, do not show aggression towards people, attacks are rare.

Features of snow leopards:

body length with tail is 2-2.3 meters;
body weight – up to 60 kg;
life expectancy 20-25 years;
leopards jump up to 6 meters in length and up to 3 meters in height;
Snow leopards cannot meow, purr, or growl.

The snow leopard is listed in the Red Book, since there are only 6,000 snow leopards left.

The puma is a small cat, although its size is not small at all, 1-1.8 meters in length. It lives in North and South America, hunts deer, and leads a solitary lifestyle.

Interesting Facts:

in nature, pumas live up to 20 years;
the main enemies of pumas are bears, jaguars and wolves;
the cubs do not come out of hiding unless their mother calls them;
the puma reaches 65 km/h on the plains, but quickly gets tired.

Pumas are constantly hunted, but due to their adaptability to different living conditions, their subspecies are not under threat of complete extermination.

The cheetah lives in Africa and the Middle East. The fastest of all land animals. Forages for food during the day; its diet consists mainly of gazelles and antelopes.

Distinctive features of the cheetah:

reaches speeds of up to 110 km/h;
body length 1.1-1.4 meters;
hunts in a pack;
the claws in the paws are not retracted or are partially retracted;
Cheetahs get along with people and are tamable.

The number of these predators is falling; according to the latest information, no more than 4,500 cheetahs remain.

The size and abilities of wild cats are amazing; it’s hard to believe that these creatures live on the same planet as people. But due to human activities, the population of these animals is rapidly declining. A person must protect and protect these incredible creatures, treat them with respect and not harm them.

I've been introducing you to them all year. You admired them, calling each of them the most beautiful. But the time has come to decide. Who exactly do you think is the most beautiful? Let's choose the cat of 2017!

There are 41 of them in total. All are beautiful, although perhaps some are not for everyone, but I am sure that each of them is worthy of attention and each has fans. Personally, I couldn’t clearly choose the best one. There are at least twenty candidates in my TOP 3.

This article has been updated for the 5th time. Originally, I wanted to show you all the felines in one place. As it turned out, even the most avid “cat people” did not know everyone. This means my work was not in vain.

Well, let's determine Miss Kitty 2017?

If suddenly you are seeing this article for the first time, let’s first try to figure out what kind of pussies there are and how they differ from each other, but then vote anyway!!!

All cats, without exception, are predators. And they belong to the order of predators, and then this order is divided into two suborders: canines and felines. Felidae include hyenas, mongooses, viverrids and felids. They are all very distant relatives, but cats are only those that are part of the feline family!

And this is what this family looks like in the subfamily/genus/species projection:

Subfamily Small cats (Felinae)

- genus Cheetahs (Acinonyx)

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You can read the original of this article (full version).

The diverse family of cats, numbering 37 species, is divided into two groups based on size: large and small. The classification is based not on the height of the animal at the withers, but on the features of its anatomical structure. Therefore, biologists classify both representatives of the subfamily of large and small cats as the largest wild cats.

10.

Of all the cats that inhabit European forests, the largest is the common lynx. The body weight of a male is about 29 kg, females are 4-6 kg lighter. The body length does not exceed 130 cm. Mammals live in Russia, Central Asia, Central and Northern Europe. At the beginning of the 20th century, the extermination of predators led to the threat of their extinction. Today, lynx fishing is prohibited everywhere.

The animal with tasseled ears and a short tail seems cute and harmless. But under the spotted thick coat hides a skillful and cunning hunter, capable of smelling prey at a distance of 2 km. Its victims include hares, foxes, birds, rodents and small ungulates: roe deer and musk deer. Lynx never attacks people. Even an adult caught by a person is easily tamed and becomes a pet.

9. Snow Leopard

To date, the number of snow leopards is unknown. The snow leopard, which lives far from people, is the most poorly studied representative of the feline tribe. The muscular wild cat is found in the mountainous regions of Central Asia and Southern Siberia at an altitude of 1.5–5 thousand m above sea level. Short, thick paws equipped with wide pads are adapted for walking on loose snow, and the ability to make 8-meter jumps helps to overcome deep crevasses.

The four-legged inhabitant of mountain peaks resembles a leopard in posture and size. The height of the male reaches 65 cm, weight - 55 kg. Fluffy gray-beige fur reliably protects from cold and camouflages in snowy gorges. A distinctive feature of the exterior is a meter-long thick tail, which the snow leopard uses as a rudder when running and jumping.

8.

Despite the height at the withers, reaching 92 cm, and the weight of 65 kg, zoologists classify the cheetah as a subfamily of small cats. This is due to the peculiarities of the skeleton - the mammal has long thin limbs, a compact skull and an extremely flexible spine. This structure allows the animal to reach speeds of up to 120 km/h. In hunting, it is also assisted by a long tail, which serves as a balancer and helps to quickly change the direction of movement.

In appearance, the sprinter of the fauna world resembles an elegant dog of the Russian greyhound breed. Like dogs, giant cats do not retract their claws, cannot climb trees, do not ambush hunt, and do not tend to eat carrion. The sounds they make resemble abrupt yelps. Unlike most of their relatives, cheetahs quickly get used to humans. In Iran, India and Kievan Rus, tamed animals often helped people hunt.

7. Leopard

Its muscular, elongated body, strong legs and excellent eyesight make the leopard an ideal killer. Chasing prey, the powerful flexible cat accelerates to 58 km/h and makes jumps 7 m long. With a body weight of up to 66 kg, it is capable of killing prey 3 times its weight. The hunter always lifts the desired trophy up a tree for the subsequent meal.

The size of the predator directly depends on the geographical features of the area. Thus, four-legged inhabitants of open spaces grow up to 75 cm, inhabitants of forests - up to 67 cm. Decorated with a spotted pattern, short, thick fur lies tightly to the body. The belly and inner side of the legs are light yellow, the rest of the body is golden brown. Individuals with a black color are called panthers.

6.

This representative of the cat family is a champion in the number of names. Residents of different countries know the puma as a Mexican lion, panther, mountain screamer, red tiger, cougar... In total, there are 83 definitions of an animal whose beauty and grace are combined with ruthlessness and composure.

The puma's habitat is the forests and mountainous regions of America. The silhouette of the predator resembles a small lioness. The height of the golden beauty is 60–85 cm, weight is about 90 kg. A distinctive character trait of the puma is patience. Waiting for prey, it sits in ambush for a long time, without giving away its presence. Once caught in a trap, the mammal calmly tries to get out of the grip. In case of failure, he falls into melancholy and motionlessly awaits death.

5.

The golden skin of this massive predator, whose height at the withers varies from 69 to 79 cm, and weight from 68 to 135 kg, is painted with bright patterns - black spots and rings. Intricate colors help to perfectly camouflage among bushes and trees. The jaguar has no equal in pursuing prey. The hardy mammal covers tens of kilometers every day, it swims well and runs fast. The hunter kills with one leap - a blow from a powerful paw can break the victim's spine.

The range of jaguars is Central and South America. The Olmec Indians inhabited these lands in the 2nd century BC. e., they believed that people and huge spotted cats had common ancestors. Today, the graceful animal, once revered by man, is in danger of extinction and is listed in the Red Book.

4. Leo

There are no two absolutely identical lions on the planet. The “facial” features of each animal are unique and belong to only one individual. The body length of the royal individuals of the fauna world is 1.7–2.5 m, height - up to 1.2 m, weight - 160–280 kg. The largest specimen lived in South Africa and weighed 313 kg.

In hunting, the lion is helped by 7-centimeter claws and vision, the acuity of which is 6 times greater than that of a human. Running is not a predator's strong point. At short distances, the giant cat accelerates to 60 km/h, but after 200 m it gets tired and stops pursuing its prey. Lack of stamina forces the animal to get as close as possible to the victim and in a swift jump deliver a fatal blow. Lionesses are lighter and faster than males, and therefore more successful in hunting.

3.

The royal representative of the panther genus, the Bengal tiger, lives in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China. In Russia its population is 5 individuals. The predatory mammal is one of the largest cats in the world. The height of the tropical forest resident reaches 115 cm, weight - 275 kg. A terrifying roar can be heard at a distance of 3 km. The deadly fangs grow up to 10 cm. The record weight of a male killed in an Indian forest in 1967 was 388.7 kg.

Among the Bengal tigers there are amazing creatures whose snow-white fur is covered with brown stripes. All white individuals have one ancestor - the male Mohan, who was born in 1951 as a result of a gene mutation.

2.

The largest wild cat found in its natural habitat lives in Russia, in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories and the mountainous regions of Sikhote-Alin. Outside the Russian Federation, the animal is found only in northeast China.

The smallest representative of the tiger brotherhood has the following characteristics:

body length -1.7–2.8 m, tail - 1.1 m;
height at withers - 110–120 cm;
weight - 167–280 kg;
length of fangs - 8 cm.

Like all cats (except lions), Amur tigers lead a solitary lifestyle, defending their territory from competitors. The animal hunts alone. He is an absolute predator - a huge hungry cat can even attack a bear.

Now the number of animals does not exceed 800 individuals, half of which are kept in zoos. The endangered species is listed in the Red Book, and its extermination is punishable by law. In China, killing a striped animal is punishable by death.

1.

The result of the love between the tigress Isla and the lion Arthur, who shared a common enclosure at the American theme park Jungle Island, became a kitten, which was later destined to top the ranking of the largest cats on the planet. Having reached maturity, the liger Hercules surpassed his parents in size. His height is 186 cm, weight - 410 kg. Standing on his hind legs, the giant reaches the roof of a double-decker bus. The gaping mouth is as wide as the shoulder girdle of an adult man.

Hercules is not the only representative of the hybrid genus. In 1973, the Guinness Book of Records added a record of a giant weighing 798 kg from a South African nature park. In 2004, a female was born at the Novosibirsk Zoo - the result of crossing an African lion and a Bengal tigress. It is impossible to meet a liger under natural conditions - tigers and lions have different habitats.

There are several large feline hybrids in the world: liger, tigon, liliger, taliger. Of these, the largest liger is a hybrid of a lion and a tigress. These hybrids have not been recorded in the wild, because Outside the walls of zoos and circuses, lions and tigers are almost never seen. The largest male ligers currently are Sudan, almost four meters tall, and Hercules, 3 meters 70 cm tall. The latter weighs just over 400 kg. However, the largest recorded individual entered the Guinness Book of Records with a weight of almost 800 kg. Male ligers are sterile - they do not give birth to offspring; in contrast, females are quite capable of reproducing; they give rise to hybrids of liligers and taligers, which are much smaller than their parents.

Kiara, the daughter of the ligress Zita and the lion Samson, was born in the Novosibirsk Zoo in 2004, she became the first liliger in the world. When Zita refused to feed Kiara, the house cat Dasha took over raising and feeding the baby.

It is noteworthy that all representatives of large cat species belong to the genus Panthera. However, it itself is not an independent species, because like albinos, panthers are just leopards and jaguars with a rare black and even rarer white coloration. Their body weight can reach 115 kg; compared to the handsome ligers, this rare representative of the cat family is a kitten.

The largest domestic cat

The largest cat breeds are Maine Coon and Ragdoll. Some representatives of these animal breeds weigh from eight to twelve kilograms, which puts them in first place among all domestic cats that have ever existed. The fluffy, huge Maine Coon looks like a fairy-tale Bayun cat, but has a very sociable and affectionate disposition; he loves his family to the point of adoration and is wary of strangers.

Domestic cats resemble the Domestic Lynx and Manul in appearance; fairly large representatives can reach up to 6 kilograms. If the Domestic Lynx adapts to being kept in the house, then the Manul is an exclusively wild cat.

The largest extinct cat

The largest representatives of extinct felines are the cave lion, miracinonyx and saber-toothed tiger. However, these “dinosaurs” did not have gigantic sizes and were much smaller than modern tigers and ligers. Scientists are confident that ligers are an extinct species that has been revived in an artificial environment. Perhaps, previously, lions and tigers were not separated by such large distances as they are now, and joint offspring could have resulted from a natural meeting of representatives of these species.

There are many different animals in the world. They are all very different from each other. Some live in the sea, others on land. Some eat plants, others are predators. Some of them are small, others are huge and heavy.

The heaviest aquatic animal

The largest and heaviest aquatic animal in the whole world is rightfully the blue whale. Its length can be about 30 meters, and its weight starts from 180 tons and more. This animal has a dark blue color with bluish tints on the sides. The heart of a blue whale can weigh about 600 kilograms, and the tongue can weigh about 2.5 tons, which in size can be compared with.

The volume of a blue whale's lungs exceeds three thousand liters, which is an absolute record among all known animals.

Such whales feed on tiny organisms that are found in the sea - krill. A blue whale can eat up to 40 million of these individuals per day. Most often, blue whales prefer to stay alone or in pairs. Such animals communicate using echolocation. The sound that blue whales make when communicating is similar to the sound of a working jet plane and can travel over enormous distances, more than one thousand kilometers.

Female blue whales give birth to their calves once every three years, following a previous pregnancy that lasts about a year. The weight of a newborn whale fluctuates around 3 tons.

The blue whale is a rather peaceful animal that has lost its warlike abilities, which contributed to the almost complete extermination of this species.

The largest and heaviest land animal

The largest land animal is the elephant. The animal is characterized by a heavy, massive body, a short neck and a large head, as well as huge ears and thick limbs. The weight of a male can reach 6 tons, a length of about 7 meters and a height of just over 3 meters.

Female animals weigh almost half as much. Their height is about 2.5 meters and their length is about 5 meters. Adult elephants, due to their large size, are most often not found in their natural habitat, but small elephant calves are quite often subject to bloodthirsty attacks from crocodiles, hyenas and leopards.

According to the latest statistical estimates, the population size of these animals in the wild is about 550 thousand individuals. The largest animal killed is the African elephant, which was shot in Angola; its weight was more than 12 tons, which is a record.

Video on the topic

Hunting, destruction of forests and water bodies, pollution of nature with waste are factors that over the past 500 years have contributed to the extinction of almost 850 species of the animal world.

Main causes of species extinction

Any changes on the planet affect the world. Both global (natural disasters, wars) and the most insignificant (forest fires, river floods). The most detrimental effect of animals is human activity; many have disappeared precisely because of it.

10 Most Famous Extinct Animals

Species of animals that humans will no longer be able to see in nature:

Tyrannosaurus Rex was one of the largest sushi carnivores. It could reach 13 m in length, 5 m in height, and weigh 7 tons. Bipedal predator. He had a weapon in the form of a long tail and a powerful skull. Fossilized remains of individuals have been found in North America. According to scientists' hypotheses, the species, along with other dinosaurs, more than 60 million years ago was the result of a comet collision with the Earth.

The quagga (extinct since 1883) is a subspecies of the common zebra with stripes on the front half of the body. They occupied a vast territory of Africa. They were exterminated by people for the sake of meat and to make room for pastures for livestock.

The Tasmanian tiger (or wolf) was the largest marsupial carnivore of our time. Inhabited the territory of Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea. It got its name for the stripes on its back and its habitat. Intensive hunting, diseases (introduced by humans into areas isolated from civilization), and the appearance of dogs are to blame for the extinction of the species. The species has been considered extinct since 1936, but even today there are people claiming to have seen living specimens.

The sea cow (Steller's subspecies) is an absolutely defenseless animal. The species was discovered in the Bering Sea in 1741 by Georg Steller. The individuals were similar to modern manatees, only much larger. An adult sea cow was 8 m long and weighed about 3 tons. In just 27 years, the animals were exterminated by humans for their thick skin and fat.

The Chinese river dolphin became extinct as a result of pollution of river waters by waste from cargo and industrial ships. In 2006, the extinction of the species was registered.

Caspian tiger (extinct in the 1970s) - ranked third in size among all species. It was distinguished by unusually long hair, huge fangs and an elongated body. The color resembled a Bengal.

The aurochs (extinct since 1627) is a primitive bull. Only aristocrats hunted them. When, in the 16th century, the threat of extinction loomed over the species, hunting was prohibited and violation of the ban was severely punished. This did not save the population from destruction. At the beginning of the last century in Germany they tried to revive the species, but without success.

The great auk (extinct since 1844) is flightless, reaching 75 cm in height and weighing about 5 kg. Representative of an extensive family, the only one before modern history.

The cave lion is the largest lion. The main part died out during the Ice Age; the remnants of the species were unable to recover after a series of cataclysms and finally disappeared 20 centuries ago.

The dodo (extinct at the end of the 17th century) is a flightless bird from the island of Mauritius. It belonged to the family of pigeons, although it reached 1 m in height. The species was also exterminated by humans.

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Tip 4: What species of cat did domestic cats come from?

Domestic cats descended from wild representatives of the forest cat species, although most biologists still classify them as this species and consider them only a separate subspecies. The period of domestication dates back to the Neolithic Revolution, which occurred about 10 thousand years ago.

Domestic cats

Biologists have not yet reached a consensus on whether cats should be classified as a separate species or not. For a long time, the most common and beloved pets among people were considered representatives of the forest cat species, forming a separate subspecies along with such groups as the Omani cat, the steppe cat, the cat and others. Despite some differences in appearance and behavior, all these groups really belong to the same species, as they can interbreed and produce healthy offspring.

The same applies to domestic cats: once in the wild and becoming wild, they can find a mate among their wild counterparts and continue the family line, which allows them to be classified as the same species.

Nevertheless, some biologists propose to distinguish a separate species of domestic cats on the basis that they are separated by a huge gulf from their brothers: it is difficult to imagine that the sleek Sphynx or the blunt-nosed Persian cat belongs to the same species as the graceful, aggressive and forest cat.

History of domestic cats

Thus, the ancestors of all domestic cats were forest cats - small predatory mammals that today live in Africa, northern Asia and Europe. These are fast, cunning, timid and aggressive animals.

They, in turn, descended from more ancient representatives of the cat genus and have close family ties with the sand cat - a small animal resembling a small lynx.

Several thousand years ago, forest cats inhabited the territory of the Middle East and at first tried not to meet representatives of the human race. During the Neolithic Revolution, people learned to grow plants, and grain reserves began to attract rodents to people's homes. It is believed that the small mammalian pests were followed by predatory cats who hunted them.

Gradually, people began to cooperate: the neighborhood was beneficial to both. The domestication of these animals occurred about 10 thousand years ago, presumably in the area of the so-called Fertile Crescent, where the first settled settlements and the beginnings of human civilizations were formed.

Genetic studies have made it possible to identify the origin of domestic cats more accurately: all representatives of the domestic subspecies descended on the maternal line from several steppe cats. Steppe cats are a subspecies of forest cats that separated from other predators of this species about 130 thousand years ago. It was these animals that lived in the Middle East, and it was they who were domesticated by the ancestors of modern people.

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The Maine Coon is a large, muscular cat with wide, strong paws and large ears. The hair on these animals is short on the head and neck, but longer on the back and sides. In addition, Maine Coons have a luxurious fluffy collar and tufts on their already long ears. The coat color of representatives of this breed can vary. The color may include black, white, gray, brown, as well as any combination of these shades. There are also bright red Maine Coons.

The fruit of love between a cat and a raccoon

"Maine Coon" literally means "Maine raccoon". The breed received this name due to the similarity of the animals with raccoons. For a long time, people who did not understand biology considered the shaggy Maine Coon with tufted ears and a characteristic striped color to be the result of a love affair between a raccoon and a cat. Of course, there are no raccoons among the ancestors of Maine Coons, but the name stuck with the breed.

Character of a huge cat

Despite its impressive size, the Maine Coon is a meek and docile animal. These cats become very attached to their owner, which is why they received the nickname cat-dog. They can, like a devoted dog, walk around the house all day long, watching what he does and patiently waiting until the owner is free and can give them attention. At the same time, Maine Coons are not intrusive. They won't rest on your keyboard when you're working on your laptop, and they won't get between your face and the book while you're reading. Raccoons are usually wary of strangers, but do not show aggression.

The Maine Coon may seem clumsy in appearance, but in fact it is very active. It is better to own this breed for people living in their own houses or spacious apartments, as the Maine Coon loves to run, hunt for a ball, or. Until recently, the ancestors of cats caught mice on farms, so their hunting instincts are very strong.

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