The largest member of the cat family. Wild cats: the cat family
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" is common feature for 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. modern family feline includes about 35 species of animals. Felines inhabit safe regions of the world where many wild animals live. Over the centuries, felines have adapted perfectly to environment. 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, they evolved into early modern views 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 exhibit incredible strength and dexterity 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. TO big cats include lions, snow leopards, leopards, jaguars, in 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. next hallmark is the area between upper lip and a nose, which in small cats is covered with hair, while in large cats it remains bare. 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. When resting, 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 long tail wrap 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 big movable auricles pick up even the slightest noise. Representatives of small cats even hear high-frequency sounds and ultrasounds that small mammals give out.
Our planet Earth is great and beautiful. And everywhere - in the forests and tundras, in the depths of the oceans and on the slopes of high mountains, on the sand of the desert hot by the hot sun and on the icy land of Antarctica bound by cold - there is life everywhere. Side by side live furry and feathered (animals and birds), predators and herbivores, huge and tiny.
For millions of years, man has been side by side with cats, big and small, friendly and dangerous, but always mysterious and free. Alas, nowadays there are almost no animals that would not be threatened with extinction due to the fault of people.
Human intervention in the life of nature cannot be stopped. But everyone should strive not to harm her, so that she suffers as little as possible from our interference. And for this you need to know and love Nature, to know the animals that live on our planet next to and at the same time with us, their habits, habits, way of life. Know to save and save.
I decided to explore the cat family, their features, habits.
Relevance. More than half of the wild cat species are listed in the International Red Book.
The object of my research was the cat family, their habitats, as well as protection rare species animals, and animals listed in the Red Book.
The material prepared by me can be used in the lessons of the world around and extracurricular activities.
Studying the topic “The Cat Family. Wild cats”, I conducted a survey.
Among the 26 students surveyed in our class, representatives of the Cat family know: o Leo - 7 people. , o Tigra - 5 pers. , o Panther - 6 people. , o Snow leopard - 4 people. , o Leopard - 5 pers. , o Lynx – 3 pers. , o Cheetah - 1 person.
I am sure that all my classmates are familiar with the lion, and the tiger, and the lynx, but they do not know that they are representatives of the Feline family.
To the question: “Should these animals be protected?”: o Yes, it is necessary – 5 people. , o No – 14 people , o I don't know – 7 pers.
Felines are representatives of the family of mammals, the order of carnivores. They are extremely widespread throughout the world. Cats are absent only in Australia, Antarctica and Madagascar. They include 4 genera and 37 species. Felines are medium and large animals with a slender, flexible body. They have fewer teeth than other carnivores (no more than thirty), so the muzzle is short, and the head as a whole looks rounded. The teeth are adapted for cutting meat, and the tongue is covered with small, pointed and backward hard protrusions that allow you to scrape the meat from the bones like a grater and help clean your own hair. Pads are developed on the fingers. Sharp curved claws are drawn into special recesses and therefore do not become dull when walking and do not knock, which is especially important when hunting. They lead a terrestrial lifestyle, inhabiting mainly forests, partly deserts, savannahs and mountains. Many are excellent tree climbers and swimmers, and are also capable of making huge jumps. Among the cats there are excellent runners, including the fastest animal on the planet - the cheetah.
They are adapted to obtaining animal food by stealing, stalking, less often chasing. They live mostly alone or in families, and lions form groups of up to 20 individuals or more. They use natural shelters on the ground and trees, as well as other people's holes.
The lion (see Appendix 1) is a very large animal. The average adult lion is a little less than three meters long and weighs between 180 and 230 kilograms. Lionesses are smaller: their average length is about two and a half meters, and their weight is 140 kilograms. Among cats, only in lions it is easy to distinguish a lion from a lioness even at a great distance due to its growth and lush mane. Leo, whose flexible body consists, as if from nothing but muscles, has incredible physical strength. With one stroke of his paw, he is able to knock down a three-hundred-kilogram zebra and, despite their weight, lions are excellent jumpers. Three-meter vertical jumps - on cliffs or over fences - are the most common thing for them. Lions differ from other cats in that they live and hunt in groups - the so-called prides. The number of pride can vary greatly - from four or five members to thirty. The pride does not protect the aged and sick lions, but, on the contrary, expels them, leaving them to take care of themselves.
The main earners are lionesses. The lioness, an experienced hunter, carefully approaches her prey, hiding behind low bushes, until the moment comes for a swift dash forward. The lioness is able to lie motionless in the thicket for half a day, having crept up until a herd of wildebeest appears at the watering hole. A few seconds, when they lower their muzzles to the water, is enough for her well-timed jump. They also prey on various antelopes, zebras and other medium-sized ungulates, up to young elephants, rhinos, hippos, and also livestock. Having had their fill, the lions quench their thirst and lie down to rest. In captivity, lions live up to 20-30 years.
Previously, they lived throughout Europe, but now they are preserved only in East and South Africa, and even a handful of Asiatic lions live in their natural state in the Indian reserve of the Girsky Forest.
The tiger is one of the largest land predators on our planet. The weight of a large Amur tiger reaches 300 - 350 kilograms with a body length from nose to tail root of up to 2.5 - 3 meters, a tail of about 90 cm. Within Russia, tigers have survived only in the Far East, mainly in Primorsky Krai.
In India, white tigers are sometimes found and specially bred, in which white background located brown stripes. These animals have blue eyes. Tigers love forests with slopes, steep and high cliffs, stone niches and caves. Here, the predator always finds food, easily surveys its possessions from high points, has plenty of places convenient for the lair, and solitarily raises its striped offspring. Most of all, the tiger is interested in wild boar and red deer, although it occasionally hunts elk, bear, roe deer, and sometimes a hare. The tiger is a professional hunter. On the hunt, he relies mainly on visual acuity and fine hearing. The sense of smell of the tiger, like all cats, is weak. In a throw at a short distance, he, like lightning, overcomes a distance of 15 meters in a second. But he cannot run for a long time: he gets tired. That is why the tiger always wants to sneak as close as possible to finish the hunt in a few jumps.
The tiger eats quite a lot: up to 30 - 40 kilograms at a time. A hungry large animal can eat 50 kilograms of meat. Usually, a deer or a wild boar is enough for him for a week, and a big elk or a bear - for 10 days. After a successful hunt and rest on abundant food, the tiger does not always manage to immediately get another animal, and then he does not eat for several days in a row. The tiger endures even a long hunger strike without consequences for its body, because the layer of fat on its sides and stomach reaches a thickness of five centimeters. In the mornings and evenings, tigers diligently tidy themselves up, licking their fur, as domestic cats do.
Typically, tigers live sedentary, each on their own individual hunting grounds. Male and female side by side. Animals protect their territory from aliens, resolutely chase both their fellows and other large predators. Tigers are solitary animals. They, unlike lions, do not recognize a flock of life, they love solitude.
Under natural conditions, tigers live an average of ten to fifteen years, and longer in zoos. They grow all their lives and therefore reach old age largest sizes. The Amur tiger has practically no enemies. Only a very large brown bear can overpower him.
The tiger is very curious and, at every opportunity, watches a person, follows in his footsteps, sometimes imperceptibly accompanies a forest traveler, without showing aggression. At random encounters with a person, even close, calmly turns to the side, as if giving way to him. A man is inviolable for the Amur tiger. Due to the sharp reduction in the range and population, the tiger is listed in the international Red Book of rare and endangered mammals.
The body of a leopard in length reaches 91-180 cm, the tail - 75-110 cm, the weight is usually 32-40 kg, but occasionally exceeds 100 kg. It inhabits most of Africa (except the Sahara) and the southern half of Asia. Amazing beautiful cat has an elongated, flexible, slender and at the same time strong body, rounded head, long tail, slender, very strong legs. Occasionally there are black leopards. They are most commonly referred to as the black panther. This beast is superbly armed. Its fangs and retractable claws are sharp as needles and deadly as daggers. With a burden in his teeth that exceeds his weight, he rushes through the forest quickly and naturally. And it’s almost unbelievable: with a roe deer in its teeth, a large leopard jumps two to three meters high. Let's add: his running speed is 16 - 18 meters per second, and eight-meter long jumps and four-meter high jumps are common for him, as well as artistic climbing on trees, even straight and smooth ones. Yielding to a lion and a tiger in size, the leopard wins with agility and swiftness of movements. He perfectly climbs trees, rocks and feels no less free there than on the ground. His reaction is instant, the attacks are lightning fast, he does not know fear. And it is not for nothing that many scientists and famous hunters consider the leopard to be the most perfect of cats - a supercat. The leopard has delicate hearing and sharp eyesight, and he sees well in seemingly impenetrable darkness. With its bright coloring, the cat perfectly disguises itself on the ground. The main victims of the leopard are roe deer, medium-sized antelopes, deer, wild boars, monkeys, and hares. The leopard often has to compete for food with other big cats. Perfectly climbing trees, he drags prey to high branches, where other predators cannot reach it.
The average prey weight is usually 25 - 50 kilograms, but the leopard is able to crush a horse, zebra, cow and even a gorilla. And with all this, he is not averse to eating locusts, voles or frogs. And you can imagine - it catches and regales itself with fish!
Leopards are very difficult to train and almost never become as tame as, for example, a lion, cheetah, puma, lynx. The leopard is freedom-loving, cruel, does not tolerate violence and does not forgive insults.
In many places, leopards have become rare, many subspecies are threatened with extinction. In Russia, for example, only about 30 Far Eastern leopards live. Moreover, half of these animals are settled, and half sometimes go abroad - to China and Korea. Three dozen leopards is not just a few, it is already beyond survival. There is only hope for the preservation of these animals in captivity, where about 90 Far Eastern leopards are kept.
The jaguar is a representative of a group of large cats in the fauna of North and South America. It is somewhat larger than a leopard: the body is 150-180 cm, the tail is 70-91 cm, and the weight is 68-136 kg. The body of the jaguar is more stocky, massive, the tail and legs are relatively shorter than those of the leopard, and it looks more like a tiger. The jaguar lives almost everywhere: in dense impenetrable forests, and in light forests, and in the steppe, and in coastal groves, and in reed beds. The smallest jaguars are found in Honduras and Guatemala; the largest are in Brazil, and the length of the animals ranges from 1.6 to 2.4 meters (a third is occupied by the tail).
It prefers to move on the ground, but it can also climb trees very dexterously. This cat is not afraid of water - she loves to swim and swims perfectly. Therefore, the inhabitants of rivers and lakes have to feed this predator: water pigs, turtles, and fish get to it for lunch, and the jaguar hunts fish from the shore, throwing them out of the water with powerful blows of its paws. In general, all American animals have to be afraid of the gluttonous jaguar, even tapirs come to him for dinner. This born hunter overtakes monkeys even on the tops of trees or finishes them near a watering place.
Having become a subject of hunting because of its beautiful skin, the jaguar is gradually disappearing from the face of the earth, therefore jaguars are protected everywhere. Jaguars are quite common in zoos. If you take up their education with early childhood, then you can tame them to a certain extent.
The cheetah is a fairly large animal. The length of the body is about 130 cm, the tail is 75 cm. Its body, compared with other cats, is shortened, while the legs are very long, thin, slender, and at the same time strong. The claws, which is very characteristic, are non-retractable. The tail is long, thin, evenly pubescent. A small mane is developed. The construction of the body of a cheetah almost repeats the silhouette of a greyhound, and some moments in behavior are also more inherent in dogs. But this is the only wild cat that, being in a good mood, purrs like a domestic Murka.
They live mainly in arid areas, avoiding open flat spaces and dense thickets of trees, in Africa, Central and Central Asia. Cheetahs feed on small and medium-sized ungulates. Only in exceptional cases do they attack large antelopes. In times of famine, rodents and birds are caught. Although cheetahs live on the same open plains as lions, where hyenas and wild dogs live, there is no rivalry between them, because the cheetah hunts animals that are very fast, and therefore inaccessible to other predators. The behavior of the cheetah on the hunt is curious: it creeps up to the antelope at a distance of 150 to 200 meters, after which a rapid short-term chase begins, during which the predator often develops speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour. It is the fastest animal on earth. With all this, he is quite timid and concedes prey to such larger cats as lions and leopards without even snapping back.
Often these animals hunt in pairs or big families, which is also atypical for cats (excluding lions).
Cheetahs are tamed better than other cats. People noticed this already about three thousand years ago, when they began to use them for hunting. Breeding them in captivity did not succeed, and therefore it was constantly necessary to catch young cheetahs in nature and tame them. This circumstance, as well as the systematic human settlement of the steppe regions, which served as living space for the cheetah, led to a significant decrease in their numbers.
Snow leopard (Irbis)
The size of the snow leopard is about the size of a leopard. It reaches a length of 120-150 cm, a tail of about 90 cm, and a weight of 23-41 kg. Adult snow leopards weigh from 65 to 75 kg.
The snow leopard has large front paws, short hind legs and a powerful rib cage, which allows him to perfectly jump on the rocks. The long tail helps the animal to keep balance. The fur of the snow leopard is extremely thick, fluffy, and soft. This hairline is an excellent protection from the cold. The leopard's eyesight is sharp, well developed, and other senses serve the leopard perfectly. When this “kitty” has a good heart, she, like pets, purrs. He can also growl, like representatives of the famous, royal cats, only the owner of the snow growls softly.
There is an irbis in the mountains of Central Asia. Here, among mountain ice and snow, his fur perfectly camouflages him from both enemies and victims. Irbis prefers to hunt at dusk. The leopard is very attached to his “home”, although, when hunting, he wanders very far from him.
He feeds on all the mammals living in his patrimony - from mice to mountain goats and rams; sometimes cracks down on yaks. They do not attack a person, but, if it happens, boldly fights off him. However, this is of little help.
In pursuit of valuable fur, people can exterminate this beautiful beast, although in India and Central Asia it has long been protected by law.
In zoos, it is less common than other large cats. He can be tamed, although he usually builds a ferocious predator, growls, hisses, and rumbles for a long time.
The puma reaches a length of 100-180 cm, with a tail length of 60-75 cm, a height of 61-76 cm and a weight of up to 105 kg. Thirty of its subspecies are found in southwestern Alaska, Canada and America. This large American cat is also called a cougar, a black or silver lion, and even a panther. The body of the puma is flexible and elongated. Paws are wide, with sharp, curved retractable claws; 4 fingers on the hind legs, 5 on the front legs. The hind legs are noticeably more massive than the front ones. Cougar fur is thick, but short and coarse.
The agile, agile and flexible cougar climbs trees well and travels without fear along the cliffs, jumping from a height of 12-15 meters.
Cougars feed on mice, rabbits, reptiles, frogs, grasshoppers, birds and more significant prey - small and medium ungulates. The crown number of the cougar on the hunt is an instant throw followed by a bite of the victim in the scruff of the neck. If the maneuver fails, the cat does not pursue the prey for long. The cougar buries the remains of the carcass in the snow or hides it under brushwood to return to them again the next day.
Despite the fact that cougars serve as an object of hunting, most of their species exist in sufficient numbers, the reason for this is their excellent adaptability to life in different habitats. Now there are more cougars in nature than twenty years ago. The thing is that since 1971 they have been under the protection of the state.
The lynx is quite a large animal. Its body has a length of 82-105 cm, tail - 20-31 cm, weight - 8-15 kg, rarely more. The lynx was preserved in North America, in the mountains in Europe and almost throughout Russia. Her body is short, dense, on high strong legs with very broad hairy paws. Wide sideburns are developed on the sides of the head, and tassels are at the ends of the ears. The tail is short, at the end, as if chopped off. Winter coat is very thick and soft. The lynx prefers deaf, heavily cluttered dark coniferous forests, although it is found in a wide variety of stands. She perfectly climbs trees and rocks, is able to swim far. In the event of a lack of food, lynxes leave their homes, embark on wanderings and may appear somewhere far away in the forest-steppe. She constantly hunts grouse birds, small rodents, less often - small ungulates, sometimes attacks domestic cats and dogs, and in the forest - foxes, raccoon dogs and other medium-sized animals. Contrary to popular belief, the lynx never jumps on its prey from a tree, but prefers to wait patiently in ambush near the path or silently, with extraordinary caution, steal, and then attack with large jumps. In general, this is a very dexterous and strong predator. For ungulates, the lynx becomes especially dangerous in winter, when they get stuck in deep and loose snow, which keeps their enemy well. In such conditions, the lynx copes even with female red deer.
Due to deforestation, it is no longer found in southern Europe and many places in Asia Minor and Central Asia. In Finland, the lynx has been exterminated by hunters, and now there are only individuals that accidentally enter from the neighboring regions of Russia.
The serval is a slender, long-legged cat of medium size. The length of his body is 90-135 cm, the height at the shoulders is up to 40-65 cm; the serval weighs 8-18 kg. Servals are distributed almost throughout Africa, excluding the Sahara. The serval has the tallest legs of any cat. His head is miniature; the tail is relatively short - 30-45 cm. Serval is considered a close relative of lynxes and caracals. Inhabits shrub thickets near water. Only occasionally is the serval found in forests, avoiding dry, open plains. Thanks to long slender legs, the serval runs swiftly over short distances, and in tall grass it rushes in big jumps, quickly overtaking the victim. If necessary, makes a vertical jump and grabs flying birds at a height of 3 m from the ground. He digs some rodents out of the ground, and hunts for tree hyraxes directly on the trees. Hares and small antelopes, as well as francolins and other birds, especially often become its prey. Can swim. Servals lead a solitary lifestyle. Skirmishes between them are rare. In case of danger, they prefer to hide or flee, making unexpected jumps or abruptly changing the direction of running, and rarely climb trees.
The northern subspecies of the serval is listed in the IUCN Red List with the status of "threatened species." Currently, serval hunting is prohibited in 9 of the 41 countries where its range passes.
Caracal - desert lynx. The name of this cat comes from the Turkish word "karakalak", which means "black ear". predatory mammal cat families. Body length 65-82 cm, tail - 25-30 cm, shoulder height about 45 cm; weight - 11-19 kg. Distributed in the deserts and steppes of most of Africa, Asia Minor and Central Asia. For a long time, the caracal was attributed to lynxes, which it looks like, but its body is thinner, slender, on high thin legs. The tail is longer. The coat is short. The coloration is monophonic, reddish-sandy, with small black marks on the muzzle and ears, the ends of which are decorated with long tassels. On the paws, a brush of hard hair is developed, which facilitates movement on sandy soil.
The caracal is active mainly at night, but in winter and spring it also appears during the day. The burrows of porcupines and foxes serve as shelters for him, and sometimes he uses them for several years in a row. In the spring, the caracal sometimes takes a rest in a den under the bushes. It actively searches for and pursues prey. Although the caracal long legs, he cannot run for a long time, and therefore he does not hunt for stealing, but hiding the victim and overtaking it with large (up to 4.5 m in length) jumps. Possessing an extraordinary speed of reaction and very sharp retractable claws, this predator is able to grab several birds one after another from a flying flock. However, rodents (gerbils, jerboas, ground squirrels), partly small antelopes serve as its main food. Sometimes he gets hedgehogs, porcupines, reptiles, insects, small predatory animals, the size of a fox. Having settled near the oasis, the caracal can kidnap poultry and attack lambs. In the summer he needs water.
Unfortunately, the attempts of zoologists to save the caracal, which lives in the Karakum desert between the Caspian and Aral seas, most often end in failure. The number of this desert cat is declining catastrophically, it does not take root in zoos, and there are no more than 300 individuals left in nature.
In connection with the development of desert territories, the caracal is most likely doomed to extinction.
fishing cat
The fishing cat is a wild cat of Southeast Asia, closely related to the Far Eastern cat and similar to it, but larger in size.
Fishing cats are about 80 cm long, not counting the 30 cm tail. The fishing cat lives in tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia: in the south and east of India, in Indochina, Ceylon, Sumatra, Java. They are found mainly in forests near water bodies, mainly swamps, lakes and slow-moving rivers.
The water-adapted coat is thick and waterproof. The fishing cat is one of the few felines that cannot fully retract its claws. Its paws are equipped with membranes that help when swimming in the water.
Unlike most other felines, fishing cats are excellent swimmers. In search of food, they not only wait near the shore to rush to prey with one well-aimed leap, but also roam the shallow water in search of crabs, frogs, snails and other aquatic life, or dive and swim to get fish. Sometimes they hunt on land for mice, birds and insects. In exceptional cases, they hunt more than large mammals the size of a lamb.
The biggest threat facing this species is human destruction of wetland habitats. The survey showed that more than half of the Asian wetlands are at risk of extinction due to the development of drainage for agriculture, as well as felling and fishing.
dune cat
The dune cat is very peculiar. She lives in sandy deserts. Its dimensions are relatively small: body length is about 43-57 cm, tail is 28-35 cm, weight is 2.3-3.4 kg. It is found in Africa, also in Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan. An interesting feature dune cat are soles completely covered with thick wool, so that calcaneal calluses are not imprinted on the tracks. Therefore, scientists cannot fully study this species. The dune cat lives almost exclusively in hilly sands overgrown with white saxaul and other shrubs or sandy sedge. Most of the year the cat roams the desert. In the hottest months, it leads a strictly nocturnal life. In winter and early spring, it can often be seen during the day. She shelters in the old burrows of foxes, corsacs, porcupines, as well as the expanded minks of gophers and gerbils. Sometimes the dune cat digs shallow holes on its own, where it hides densely when a person approaches. Its prey are gerbils, jerboas, snakes and lizards active at night. Sometimes she catches tolai hares, birds and destroys their nests, including those located in trees. In winter, it sometimes approaches villages, but does not attack domestic cats and birds. Apparently, the dune cat does without watering holes.
Many felines are very useful as exterminators of harmful rodents.
Large cats, for the most part, were the first victims of man because of their beautiful fur. All of their species have become rare and are currently under protection. Another equally important threat to felines is the destruction of their habitats. This problem is especially great for those species that settle in forests. Deforestation has greatly reduced the territory of wild cats, because they need large areas for hunting and foraging. Due to human impact, more than half of their species are listed in the international Red Book. The following are included in the Red Book of Russia: the Amur tiger, the snow leopard, the leopard, the Central European forest cat and the manul. Despite their beauty and strength, felines cannot survive in modern world without permanent human protection.
Animals of the cat family are unsurpassed hunters. They are considered to be very dangerous and skillful predators. This is not surprising, because for wild cats hunting - the only way survive in natural conditions. How often we sometimes forget that the fluffy white cat that sleeps with us on the couch is a close relative of such dangerous and untamed animals as a tiger or a lion.
First cats
The Cat family begins its history in distant prehistoric times. About 70 million years ago, the era of dinosaurs ended on earth, and the first mammals came in their place. Evolution has led to the division of animals into herbivores and predators. Both of them had to go through a long way of development in order to live up to our times.
Miacids are a well-established branch of predatory animals, according to scientists, which appeared 65-34 million years ago. It is believed that it was they who became the progenitors of all the 11 families of carnivores that currently exist (Canine, Kunya, Bear and others, including the Cat family that interests us).
Miacids were small in size, had a long tail and short legs, which allowed them to easily move both on the ground and in the trees. Their development rightly allowed them to be considered the highest ancient predators.
The "real" ancient cat appeared about 25 million years ago, it corresponded in size to the modern lynx. Her name is pseudoailurus, important feature its development is considered to be the ability to move on the toes, thanks to which the beast acquired the ability to silently sneak up on the victims. Another important event in its evolution can be called the appearance of sharp fangs, characteristic of all cats.
It is from her that the modern cat family comes. In the following millennia, the ancient cat went through many stages of formation before reaching our times in its current form. Many of these forms could not stand the competition and disappeared from the face of the earth. Among them were saber-toothed tigers, which became extinct relatively recently - only 8 thousand years ago. Unfortunately, in our time, through the fault of man, many predators of the cat family are under the threat of extinction. Because of valuable fur humans have drastically reduced their populations.
Diversity
The cat family is truly diverse and motley. Representatives have noticeable differences in habits, physiology, color and size. The smallest representative of the family is considered rusty
Her maximum size reaches 48 cm (body length), tail - 25 cm, and the weight of large males barely reaches 1.5 kg. How can this small animal compete with the largest feline representative - the tiger, whose weight reaches 300 kg and length - 380 cm (including a tail of about 100 cm).
Common features
Despite such significant differences in size, there are a number of characteristics inherent in all who are part of the cat family. The photo of these animals shows that they have a graceful, proportionately folded body, a slightly rounded head, located on short neck, middle length paws with soft pads and a tail, usually long.
There are several other important commonalities associated with hunting life animal.
The structure of the teeth. All cats have long sharp fangs, shaped like slightly curved cones. When bitten, they are capable of inflicting deep and even fatal wounds with them.
Sharp talons. No other predatory animal possesses such sharp claws as nature has endowed the Feline family. Such a powerful tool helps the beast to easily climb trees, catch and hold its prey. And so that the claws do not become dull and do not deteriorate, cats are able to hide them in specially provided recesses. It is this, as well as soft pads on the paws, that allow the animal to move almost silently.
By the way, the cheetah is the only one in the family that does not have retractable claws, but this does not bother him, since it is they who help the beast to develop tremendous speed, performing the function of spikes (as on the shoes of runners).
Inconspicuous coloration. The coloring of cats is very diverse, but at the same time one thing is inherent in it - the ability to disguise in the animal's habitual habitat. Whether it's the striped color of a tiger or the sandy color of a lion, the coloring allows you to remain invisible when hunting.
Classification
The cat family is conventionally divided into two subfamilies: large and small cats, which, in turn, are divided into genera and species. In total, there are 14 genera and 35-38 species (their number depends on the method of classification). In general, it is quite difficult to make a distinction, since the distinguishing features are often quite small.
The subfamily of big cats includes only 3 genera, the remaining 11 are small cats. Oddly enough, the classification is not based on size at all, but on other morphological features. Because of this, the small cat subfamily has representatives that are larger than the big cat subfamily. For example, the cougar, which is classified as a small cat, is larger than the leopard, which is classified as a large cat.
Differences
One of the seemingly minor differences between the groups is the structure. In big cats, it consists of cartilage, while in small cats this part of the base of the tongue is completely ossified. Perhaps it is precisely because of this feature that the first cats are able to growl, and the second - to purr on inhalation and exhalation.
There are some differences in behavior as well. they eat lying down, and small ones - sitting or standing (remember your
Another of the differences is the shape the pupil takes in bright light. In small cats, it becomes narrow, like a gap, and in large cats it narrows, but remains round.
As you can see, there are no significant differences between the subfamilies.
habitats
Cats are distributed literally all over the planet. They are able to adapt to almost any terrain and climate. However, wild cats are absent from continents such as Australia and Antarctica. They also do not exist on such large islands as Greenland, Madagascar and New Guinea.
Both subfamilies are common in Russia, only nine species: snow leopard, Amur tiger, lynx, Bengal cat, house ( reed cat), forest cat, steppe cat and manul.
That's all for today about the cat family. The photo located a little higher shows you the irbis (snow leopard) that lives in our country.
Big cats are the largest members of the cat family. And yet the main criterion for belonging to big cats is not size, but structure.
So, big cats include the lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard, but not such species as the cougar and cheetah.
Let's get to know these most beautiful and graceful predators in wild nature.
a lion
A lion. King of beasts. One of four representatives of the genus Panthera, 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 is the champion 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 enlarges the lion, and also helps to intimidate other males and attract females who prefer "men" with more luxurious hair. 
Both the lion and the lioness have a fluffy tuft at the end of the tail - a “tassel” about 5 cm long. At birth, it is absent and begins to appear at about 5 months of age. 
The color of the 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 that, for hundreds of years, they were considered the fruit of legends wandering 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 a lion - this is a crocodile. In a collision, these two species are capable of inflicting very serious injuries on each other. Lions are able to attack crocodiles when they come out onto land, while the oldest reptiles attack lions when they enter the water. 
Unlike other cats, they do not live alone, but in special family flocks - prides. Hunting and getting food is usually done by females, who act in groups. Males are engaged in the protection of the territory, expelling uninvited guests from them. Another reason why males do not hunt is the mane, which can interfere with camouflage. The fangs of a lion are 8 cm long, so these cats are able to kill fairly large animals. Despite the fact that lionesses have very sharp teeth, prey in most cases is killed 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 classified as vulnerable species due to the irreversible decline in their population. 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 four members of the Panthera genus. The body length without a tail is usually 120-185 cm, and in some cases the weight is up to 120 kg. The record in nature is 158 kg. In the Guarani language, yaguara means "a beast that kills with one leap." 
The oldest remains of the jaguar date back to the late Pliocene (about 2 million years). According to morphological features, the jaguar is most closely related to the leopard, it is very similar to it, but larger and heavier. 
The main body color of the jaguar is closer to sand. Spots are scattered over the body, which 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, the lifestyle of jaguars is solitary. 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 like deer, bakers, although it also hunts turtles: its powerful jaws can even bite through the shell. When attacking, this cat tries to injure the victim with the strongest blow at the time of the fall. This is a one-shot hunter: if the prey takes off running, the jaguar never pursues it. 
The jaguar's main hunting method 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 is almost or completely exterminated. The jaguar is included in the international Red Book. 
Snow Leopard
The irbis, or snow leopard, lives in the mountains of Central Asia. This is a rather large cat, but smaller than a leopard, with a long, flexible body, relatively short legs and a very long tail. Length with tail - 200–230 cm, weight - up to 55 kg. Recent studies show that snow leopards were distributed probably from 1.2 to 1.4 million years ago. 
The color of the fur of the snow leopard is light smoky gray with circular and solid dark spots. Since the irbis is an inhabitant of the high rocky mountains of Central and Central Asia, its coat is very thick, its length on the back reaches 55 mm - it provides protection from cold, harsh habitat conditions. So, in the Himalayas, the snow leopard was met at an altitude of 5400-6000 meters above sea level. 
Snow leopards lead a solitary lifestyle. In a territory with a low amount of prey, an area of \u200b\u200b1,000 square kilometers, only up to 5 cats can live. The snow leopard's lair suits in caves and clefts of rocks. 
The snow leopard is able to cope with prey three times its mass. He hunts in most cases before sunset and at dawn, attacking from behind a shelter. big booty the snow leopard tries to grab by the throat, and then strangle. 
Currently, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically small. 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 big cats, significantly inferior in size to 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 - up to 190 cm, weight - up to 75 kg. According to fossil remains, the first ancestor of the leopard appeared in Asia as early as 3.8 million years ago. 
The skin of the animal is a golden background, on which black spots are randomly scattered or in the form of rings. Usually the color of the fur is paler and duller in winter than in summer. As in the case of the jaguar, in nature (usually in Southeast Asia) there are melanistic leopards, which are called black panthers. 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 the prey from getting to the hyenas, the leopards drag it into the trees. The area of the hunting area of a leopard can reach 400 sq. km. depending on the region, topography and abundance of prey. 
Like lions and tigers, there are cannibals among leopards; usually these are old or sick individuals, unable to hunt their usual prey. man for this predatory cat represents a very easy target. So, in the 20s of the 20th century, the “Rudraprayag cannibal” was operating in India. On account of this leopard was 125! cases of officially registered murders of people. 
For many nations, the leopard is a symbol of cruelty, ferocity, aggressiveness, fearlessness. Unfortunately, the leopard is an endangered species. In the XX century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, in 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. characteristic feature this cat is a long tail.
Small but toothy: 
Clouded leopards are found in southeast Asia and live alone. 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 the branches and suddenly attack from above.
The pattern on the coat of a smoky leopard is unusual: large, unevenly shaped black spots are scattered on a yellowish background. The entire species is classified as 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 entire body of the tiger is covered with stripes that vary in color from brown to completely black, and the tail always ends with a black tip. 
Due to mutation, there are very rare animals in nature - white tigers. The frequency of their appearance is one individual per 10,000 with normal coloration. These are Bengal tigers with black and brown stripes on white fur and blue eyes. Zoos now contain 130 white tigers: 
An even more rare discoloration 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. During the hunt, tigers use two techniques: sneaking up on prey, moving with short cautious steps, often falling to the ground, and waiting in ambush. 
During the attack, the tiger can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h on almost any terrain, as well as jump to a height of up to 5 meters and 9-10 meters in length. Sometimes the prey weight of this powerful cat is 6-7 times higher than its own. 
These majestic cats are also endangered species. In the XX century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, in the Red Book of Russia. 
It probably won't be a mistake 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 big 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 the 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 is the most major representative feline family - 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.
