Who are wild cats. The largest cats on Earth: lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs
Everyone knows that cats can be divided into two groups: wild and domestic. You see the latter every day and know firsthand about them. But the representatives of the cat, which can be called a "wild cat" ... You probably heard relatively little about them. Today we will study these cats in detail.
1. African wild cat
It lives in the steppe, desert and in some places mountainous regions of Western, Central and Central Asia, Africa, Northern India, Kazakhstan and Transcaucasia. It is very common in its habitats.
2. Bengal dwarf cat
Lives in East and South Asia. It is under the threat of extinction, but in some places it has already become a rare species.
It lives on the island of Kalimantan. It is a rare and understudied species.
Few people have not heard of the cheetah. This is the fastest wild cat and, in general, a land animal in the world. In the Middle Ages, cheetahs were distributed throughout Asia, Africa and even Europe. But due to their subsequent mass extermination, today the habitats of cheetahs are only deaf and protected places in Africa.
5. Gobi cat
It lives in the grassy steppes in the northwest of the Gobi Desert. Like the Borneo cat, it is a little-studied species.
6. Forest wild cat
The habitat of these cats is broad-leaved and mixed forests. Due to deforestation in many European countries, this species has completely disappeared. Today there is a struggle to preserve the unique forest wild cats.
7. Geoffroy's cat
It lives throughout the territory from southern Brazil to Patagonia. It is not known whether she has enemies, and scientists are also in the dark about her reproduction. The specific epithet in the name of this cat is given in honor of the zoologist Etienne Geoffroy.
8. Golden cat
It lives mainly in the Congo basin and in the surrounding areas. Due to the degradation of the forests of Equatorial Africa in 1996, only 10,000 adults remained in the world. Now hunting for golden cats is prohibited in all countries.
Lives in Central and South Asia. Estimates of the abundance of this species due to its secretive lifestyle and hard-to-reach habitat are indicative, but it is reliably known that due to poaching, its numbers are decreasing annually.
10. Iriomote cat
It lives only on the island of Iriomote, which is located at a distance of 200 km east of Taiwan. Due to its small population (less than a hundred) and small habitat, this subspecies of the Bengal cat is listed in the International Red Book.
11. Reed cat
Distributed throughout Asia. Adapted to living in thickets of reeds and thorny bushes. It was listed in the Red Book of Russia.
12. Caracal
It is found in the deserts of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Turkmenistan. Caracals have excellent hearing and hunt rodents, reptiles and small mammals at night. The Asian subspecies of caracals are very rare and are considered endangered.
Who does not know the lion - the king of beasts? Males of this species can be distinguished by a long mane framing its neck. Lions are the only wild cats that live not alone, but in special groups - prides. Due to their declining numbers, lions are a vulnerable species.
14. Leopard
Lives in Africa and East Asia. Leopard for a long time considered a hybrid of a lion and a panther. Listed in the Red Book of the IUCN and Russia as an endangered species.
15 Clouded Leopard
Distributed in southeast Asia. Clouded leopards live alone and in thickets. This species is endangered - only three of its four subspecies remain.
Distributed in Central and Central Asia. In different territories, it belongs to rare, extremely rare and endangered animals.
Lives in moist dense evergreen forests of South and Central America. Margas are endangered. Hunting for them is prohibited everywhere.
18. Oncilla
It is found in the northeast of mainland South America. It is not under protection, but its number is very small.
19. Pampas cat
Lives in the plains of South America. It hunts mainly at night for rodents, birds and lizards.
Lives in the USA and Canada. Four subspecies of the cougar are listed in the IUCN Red List.
21. Dune cat
Lives in Western Europe and Central Asia. Their total population is not known. Due to frequent hunting and deforestation, where they live, it is listed in the IUCN Red Book.
22. Fishing cat
Found in tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia. He is good at swimming and fishing.
Representatives of the cat family are predators and all, without exception, eat meat. All of them - from a small black-footed cat to a huge Amur tiger - are excellent hunters.
Canines and molars: All felids have long, curved, cone-shaped fangs that they use to grab, hold, and kill prey. Small cats usually kill prey with a bite to the neck, squeezing the vertebrae of the victim with sharp fangs. Big cats try to bite into the throat of the victim, thus avoiding the sharp horns. The cheetah has rather weakly developed fangs, so it can only strangle its prey with them. The molars of cats have sharp tops, and when the jaws are compressed, the upper teeth closely overlap the lower ones. With their help, animals easily tear the meat apart. These "scissor teeth" are a common characteristic of all predators.
Retractable Claws: Cats have sharp claws among all carnivores. Such an innate "tool" helps them when it becomes necessary to climb trees, catch, hold and kill prey. To prevent the weapon from becoming dull and broken, cats retract their claws into special recesses on their fingers while jumping and running. Some cats have retractable claws only on their front paws. Cats that live in trees, such as the ocelot, are able to retract their claws on all four paws. In a cheetah, all the claws are not retractable, they help him develop greater speed while chasing prey, performing the same function as the spikes on the shoes of runners. Some felines use their claws not only to climb trees and to deal with prey, but also to mark their territory. To do this, they "sharpen" their claws on tree trunks. 
Color: Each type of cat has a special pattern of fur, which best masks the animal in its habitat. The coat can be sand-colored like a lion, striped like a tiger, or spotted like an ocelot - the coloring of each of these serves to ensure that the predator can better hide and go unnoticed while hunting or sneaking up on prey. But beautiful fur has long attracted the attention of people, so hunters, wanting to show off or for profit, ruthlessly kill wild cats. The modern cat family includes about 35 species of animals. Felines inhabit safe regions of the world where many wild animals live. Over the centuries, cats have adapted to their environment perfectly. Avoiding enemies or waiting for prey, they trust their sensitive hearing, keen sense of smell and protective skin color.
REPRODUCTION. Most cats live alone. Cats do not leave their territories throughout the year, and only during the breeding season, males go beyond the borders of their possessions in search of females ready for mating. Most cats give birth to one offspring per year, however, female big cats usually give birth to cubs every 2-3 years.
C males do not participate in the rearing of offspring. There are 1-6 kittens in a litter. Females feed them with milk, eventually accustoming them to meat food. Newborn kittens are blind and completely helpless. They quickly become covered with wool, the pattern of which is mostly spotted. The cubs live with their mother until they learn to hunt on their own. On average, predatory cats live for about 15 years. 
Origin of cats. The first cat-like animals appeared on our planet about 50 million years ago. Over the next 25 million years, in the process of evolution, they formed the early modern species of cats that inhabit the globe today.
One of the most famous prehistoric predators was the saber-toothed tiger that lived in the forests of 30 million years ago. For reasons unknown to science, it died out about 8 thousand years ago. The saber-toothed tiger, however, from a typological point of view, was closer to hyenas than to cats. By this time, very few fossils had been discovered that could tell about the development of the modern cat family. It is likely that the first cats appeared in Asia, from where they gradually spread throughout the world, with the exception of Antarctica and Australia. In South America, these predators appeared rather late.
In all cats outwardly surprisingly similar to each other, however, biologists distinguish 4 genera in this family and divide all cats into large and small.
LONE HUNTERS. All cats, except lions, hunt alone. They have developed a style of hunting based on stalking prey, followed by a lightning-fast jump and pounding it. Thanks to this, a single animal lives in a certain territory, is able to provide food and survive the hungry period. Surprisingly, some types of cats dare to attack prey, which is larger than them. So, the lynx hunts roe deer and deer, the tiger is able to overcome the deer and elk, he also does not miss the opportunity to attack the cubs of elephants and rhinos. Another large cat - a leopard - hunts antelopes, and raises the prey up a tree so that the carcass does not get to animals that feed on carrion. Some cats pursue the prey for a long time, others shortly, but quickly (cheetah). Small cats also display incredible strength and agility in hunting small prey. 
BIG AND SMALL CATS. The cat family belongs to the number of predators, is still divided into two subfamilies - large and small cats. Large cats include lions, snow leopards, leopards, jaguars, small ones - jaguarundi, ocelot, forest cat, steppe cat and others. In this case, the actual size of the animal often turns out to be a relative value. The cougar, for example, is included in the group of small cats, although it is larger than the clouded leopard, which is among the big cats.
The main criterion in determining the place of a species in the system is anatomical characteristics. In big cats, part of the base of the tongue is made of cartilage, while in small cats it is completely ossified, so big cats can growl and small cats can purr. The next distinguishing feature is the area between the upper lip and nose, which is covered with hair in small cats, and remains bare in large ones. Significant differences between the two groups of cats can also be found in their behavior. Large cats eat prey lying down, while small cats eat standing or sitting. During rest, the front paws of big cats are extended forward and the tail is thrown back, while small cats hide their front paws under themselves and wrap their long tail around the body. 
HEARING AND VISION. All cats have a subtle instinct. These predators have excellent eyesight, which helps them to identify prey. Due to the fact that the eyes of cats are set in front of the head, these animals see objects in volume, so they can accurately estimate the distance to the victim. In addition, cats are good at distinguishing colors and clearly recognize prey. Daytime vision in cats is the same as in humans, and at night they see 6 times better. The retina of their eyes is arranged like the retina of nocturnal animals, it contains a mirror (Taresht IisiAit), which reflects the light that has passed through the light-sensitive cells. Because of this, they see well in the dark. Nature has endowed cats with excellent hearing. Their large mobile ears catch even the slightest rustle. Representatives of small cats even hear high-frequency sounds and ultrasounds that small mammals give out.
Almost all wild cats, from huge and rather formidable to small and adorable, are endangered in one way or another. We offer you to pay attention to these amazing graceful animals, which are a real rare treasure of wildlife.
1. Asiatic cheetah
This magnificent cat once adorned the expanses of the Middle East, Central Asia, Kazakhstan and southeast India.
cajalesygalileos.wordpress.com
Currently, due to the destruction of their habitat, poaching and excessive hunting, there are approximately 70-110 Asiatic cheetahs left in the world living in the wild. All of them live in the arid conditions of the central plateau of Iran.
xamobox.blogspot.com
2. Irbis (snow leopard)
Found in the rocky mountains of Central Asia, snow leopards are well adapted to the cold conditions of the desert landscapes of their habitat.
wallpaepers.com
Unfortunately, the chic fur of the snow leopard attracts a huge number of hunters. For this reason, there are only 4000-6500 of these beautiful cats left in the world.
theanimals.pics
3. Fishing cat (speckled cat)
Unlike many family members who prefer to avoid water procedures, this cat is a professional swimmer who lives on the banks of rivers, streams and mangrove swamps.
flickr.com
In 2008, this species added to the list of endangered animals, as the favorite habitats of fishing cats - swamps - are gradually drained and become the focus of people.
archive.org
4. Kalimantan cat
Also known as the Borneo cat, this animal can only be found on the island of Borneo. This extremely rare representative of the cat family is listed in the Red Book by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The photo in front of you is one of the few shots of such a rare species.
yahoo.com
5. Sumatran cat
This cat with a slender body and an unusual (slightly flattened) head shape loves to feast on fish and walks by itself in the vastness of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sumatra. It has been listed in the Red Book since 2008 due to habitat destruction. The current number of individuals living on the planet is estimated to be less than 2,500.
wikipedia.org
6. Andean cat
Among the two dozen small species of wild cats that exist in the world, one of the rarest, information about which is rather scarce, is an animal called the Andean cat. Alas, while millions of dollars are allocated to preserve the populations of her larger relatives from the cat family, hardly thousands remain from the budgets of protective organizations to support such small cats.
wikipedia.org
7. Pyrenean lynx
The Pyrenean or Iberian lynx is considered the most endangered species of wild cats. Also, this species is currently one of the rarest mammals on the planet.
relivearth.com
A disease called myxomatosis in the 1950s wiped out the rabbit population (the mainstay of the lynx diet) in Spain on a massive scale. Now only about 100 individuals of this species of wild cat remain in the wild.
8. Manul
These beauties prefer to spend the morning hours in caves, crevices and even marmot burrows, going hunting only in the afternoon. Due to the depletion of their habitat, declining food supplies and incessant hunting, in 2002 this species was endangered.
picturebypali.deviantart.com
9. Long-tailed cat (margay)
Margai are created by ideal poison dart frogs. Only these cats have the ability to rotate their hind limbs 180 degrees, which allows them to run upside down in trees, like squirrels. Margai can even hang from a branch, clinging to it with only one paw. Every year, people kill about 14,000 long-tailed cats for their skins. This extermination trend is fatal for margays, because it takes them two years to produce offspring, while the risk of kitten mortality is 50%.
wikipedia.org
10. Serval (bush cat)
These cats love to roam the African savannah. The serval is the owner of the longest legs in relation to the body in comparison with any other representative of the feline genus. Unfortunately, in pursuit of their elegant skin, hunters do not skimp on bullets and traps, subsequently offering tourists serval fur, which is passed off as leopard or cheetah.
wikipedia.org
11. Caracal
Also known as the desert lynx, this cat is capable of making barking sounds as a warning signal. The caracal is considered an endangered species in North Africa and is regarded as rare in Central Asia and India.
wikipedia.org
12. African golden cat
Only relatively recently have people been able to obtain photographs of this rare nocturnal resident in its habitat.
whitewolfpack.com
The golden cat is only twice the size of the domestic cat we are used to. Life expectancy in natural conditions in individuals of this species has not been established, however, it is known that in captivity they can live up to 12 years.
13. Temminka the cat
This cat lives in tropical and subtropical moist evergreen and dry deciduous forests. Deforestation, as well as hunting for skin and bones, have become the reasons for finding this species under the threat of total extinction.
flickr.com
14. Dune cat
This unique cat features an extended head shape and fur that grows between its toes to protect it when walking on hot surfaces. The sand cat is listed as a threatened species, and therefore hunting for it is prohibited in many countries.
mentalfloss.com
15. Far Eastern leopard
The Amur (Far Eastern) leopard is endangered due to the destruction of its habitat, as well as the constant danger posed by people. According to the latest data, only 30 individuals of this species have been recorded in the wild so far.
flickr.com
16. Sumatran tiger
The Sumatran tiger is the last species of tiger in Indonesia to survive in the wild.
Despite the active policy of protective organizations in the fight against poaching, these tigers are constantly hunted, dooming them to extinction. World markets are continuously replenished with products made from these wild cats. Under these circumstances, fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the world.
zoo.org.au
17 Clouded Leopard
Clouded leopard is considered an intermediate evolutionary link between large and small cats. This species has been placed under conditions of gradual habitat loss as a result of large-scale deforestation. Also contributing to the extermination of this species is commercial poaching aimed at the trade in wild animals. The total clouded leopard population is currently believed to be less than 10,000 adults.
wikipedia.org
18. Marble cat
This cat is often mistaken for a marbled leopard, but its size is much more graceful, and the tail has a high degree of fluffiness. The destruction of the habitat conditions of this species in the forests of Southeast Asia, as well as the reduction in the food supply, lead to a rapid decrease in the population of marbled cats in the world.
archive.org
19. Bengal cat
The color of the skin of a beautiful Bengal cat can vary from gray to red with white with a very light chest. This is the first species to have successfully crossed wild and domestic cats. The result was a beautiful and rather friendly animal.
felineconservation.org
20. Maltese (blue) tiger
This view in the East is considered almost mythical. Most of the Maltese tigers belong to the subspecies of the South China tiger, which is endangered due to the frequent use of parts of the body of this animal in traditional medicine. Individuals that are distinguished by their "blue" skin at the moment may have already been completely exterminated.
Wikimedia Commons
21. Golden striped tiger
"Gold striped" is not the name of a species, but the definition of a color deviation.
wikipedia.org
As a rule, such individuals are the result of directed breeding of animals in captivity, however, in India there is evidence of a meeting with a golden tiger dating back to 1900.
4hdwallpapers.com
22. White lion
White lions are not albinos. They are the owners of a rare genetic set that was distributed only in one place on Earth, the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Two decades before the creation of the Society for the Protection of White Lions, this species was almost completely exterminated, so now a unique program is underway to restore the population in their natural habitat.
whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com
23. Anatolian leopard
For the past 30 years, this Turkish leopard species was thought to be completely extinct. However, in 2013, a shepherd in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır killed a large cat that attacked his herd. Later, biologists determined that it was an Anatolian leopard. Although this story has such a sad ending, it still gives hope that the rarest species may still exist.
turtlehurtled.com
24. Rusty cat
A rusty or red-spotted cat, whose length, including the tail, is only 50-70 cm, and its weight is about 2-3 kg, is the smallest wild cat in the world. Man knows practically nothing about this species, whose representatives lead an extremely secretive life. Unfortunately, despite this, the rusty cat has already managed to get on the list of “vulnerable” species, since most of its natural habitats have now been turned into farmland.
boxiecat.com
25. Scottish Forest Cat
Known as the "Highland Tiger" in the UK, the Scottish Forest Cat is now critically endangered, with a recent population estimate of less than 400 individuals.
flickr.com
26. Black-footed cat
The smallest of all African wild cats, the black-footed cat has black fur on the soles of its paws to protect it from the hot sand of the desert. These animals are no strangers to scavenging for food, a habit that puts them in great danger as it leads them into the traps set for other animals.
flickr.com
Do you know that there are currently 41 cat species in the world? They are all wild. Absolutely all predatory. Many of the species and subspecies are on the verge of extinction. In this article I would like to show all the diversity and beauty of the cat family. But first, I would like you not to get confused in terms.
So, all cats belong to the order of predators, and then this order is divided into two suborders: canines and felines. Cats include hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and felids. They are all very distant relatives, but cats are only those who are part of the cat family!
The whole cat family is divided into subfamilies: small cats and big cats.
Each subfamily is in turn divided into genera. Especially a lot of them in the subfamily of small cats:
Genus Cheetahs (Acinonyx)
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genus Caracals (Caracal)
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catopuma genus (Catopuma)
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genus Cats (Felis)
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genus Tiger cats (Leopardus)
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genus Servals (Leptailurus)
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genus Lynx (Lynx)
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genus Marble cats (Pardofelis)
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genus Asiatic cats (Prionailurus)
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genus Golden cats (Profelis)
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genus Puma (Puma)
In the subfamily of big cats, everything is simpler:
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genus Clouded leopards (Neofelis)
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genus Panther (Panther)
Now that we have determined which family cats belong to and divided them into subfamilies and genera, it remains to divide them into species! And just these species are 41 pieces. Each type is shown below.
Most likely, you will try to find among all the species below your domestic cat breed or, for example, the Far Eastern leopard. And you won't find them. Why? Because your domestic cat, like the Far Eastern leopard, are subspecies.
To make it easier for you to understand what a subspecies means, I will show you with an example where your domestic cat is in the chain:
Family - felines / subfamily - small cats / genus - cats (felis) / species - forest cat / subspecies - your breed of domestic cat
And the Far Eastern leopard is here:
Family - felines / subfamily - big cats / genus - panther (Panthera) / species - leopards / subspecies - Far Eastern leopard.
I will describe the subspecies separately, otherwise this article will turn into such a long one that only a cat maniac like me can read it at once!
Well, now let's finally get acquainted with all types of cats and admire them:
Subfamily - Small cats (Felinae)
genus - Cheetahs (Acinonyx)
species - cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus):
genus - Caracals (Caracal)
view - : 
genus - catopums (Catopuma)
view - Kalimantan cat (Catopuma bada): 
view - Asian golden cat (Temminka cat) (Catopuma temmincki): 
genus - Cats (Felis)
view - Chinese cat (Gobian gray cat) (Felis bieti): 
view - reed cat (House) (Felis chaus): 
view - ): 
view - (Felis margarita): 
view - : 
view - forest cat (Felis silvestris). This is just the subspecies of the forest cat - your domestic cat: 
view - steppe cat (Felis libyca): 
genus - Tiger cats (Leopardus)(not to be confused with leopards!)
view - : 
view - pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo): 
view - Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi): 
view - Chilean cat (kodkod) (Leopardus guigna): 
view - Andean cat (Leopardus jacobitus): 
view - ocelot (Leopardus pardalis): 
view - oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus): 
view - long-tailed cat (margay, margay) (Leopardus wiedii): 
genus - Servals (Leptailurus)
view - : 
genus - Lynx (Lynx)
view - Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis): 
view - common lynx (Lynx lynx): 
view - : 
view - red lynx (Lynx rufus): 
genus - Marble cats (Pardofelis)
- Marble cat (Pardofelis marmorata): 
genus - Asian cats (Prionailurus)
- Bengal cat (Prionailurus bengalensis): 
view - Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis): 
view - Far Eastern forest cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus): 
view - Sumatran cat (Prionailurus planiceps): 
view - spotted red cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus): 
view - fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus): 
genus - Golden cats (Profelis)
view - : 
genus - Cougars (Puma)
view - puma (Puma concolor): 
Big cats are largest members of the cat family. And yet the main criterion for belonging to big cats is not size, but structure. All felids are the most specialized of predators, adapted to obtain animal food by sneaking.
A small selection of big cats from National Geographic.
On the coat of all large cats there are spots, even if they are not visible at first glance. They are evident in the leopard, clouded leopard, snow leopard and jaguar. In a tiger, the stripes on the coat are elongated spots. In lions, spots appear, as a rule, only in cubs.
The jaguar is the most powerful predator in South America. (Photo by Joel Sartore):
Big cats differ from their smaller relatives in the structure of the hyoid bone. It consists of small bones that serve as an anchor for the tongue muscle in the throat. Previously, this sign was associated with the ability to growl. However, newer research shows that growling is based on other anatomical features, primarily on the special structure of the larynx.
Lions and cubs. (Photo by Beverly Joubert):
In the lion, tiger, leopard, and jaguar, it is characterized by very long vocal cords and thick elastic tissue that allows roaring. The snow leopard, clouded leopard and other feline species do not have such features and cannot growl.
Lioness, Botswana. Usually in a lion pride there are from 2 to 18 females with cubs. (Photo by Beverly Joubert):
Of the sense organs, hearing and vision are better developed; smell is weaker. Cats are able to hear very high sounds - up to 80 kHz (human - up to 20 kHz).
Puma or mountain lion. This picture looks like a kangaroo. (Photo by Jim & Jamie Dutcher):
Cats are incredible predators, their body is adapted to eating exclusively meat. They cannot be vegetarians. Here lies their secret of cleanliness, unlike, for example, dogs and other mammals of the canine family, which are omnivores.
Bengal tigers. The population of this species is less than 2,500 individuals, with the prospect of decreasing. (Photo by Michael Nichols):
Cleanliness is in their genes and driven by instinct. Cats hunt by stalking, and if felines gave off odors, they would be noticeable to their prey.
Cheetah or simply the fastest land animal. (Photo by Chris Johns):
This clouded leopard is a member of the cat family that lives in Southeast Asia. It vaguely resembles a leopard and is considered a fairly ancient species, as well as a possible ancestor of the current large felines. (Photo by Peter Weimann/Animals Animals-Earth Scenes):
The territory of the African lion, which he protects, is huge - 260 sq. km. It is unlikely that he will want to be in a cage in a zoo at will. (Photo by Chris Johns):
The Asian lion was distributed in southern Eurasia from Greece to India. Today, only 200 individuals remain in the wild. (Photo by Mattias Klum):
Irbis, or snow leopard. There are 6,000 of them left in the wild. (Photo by Michael Nichols):
Family of cheetahs. (Photo by Chris Johns):
The Amur tiger is one of the smallest subspecies of the tiger, the northernmost, largest tiger. The Amur tiger is the ruler of vast territories, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich for the female is 300-500 sq. km., and for the male - 600-800 sq. km. In nature, there are 400-500 individuals left. (Photo by Michael Nichols).
