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Big Cats

There are 38 species of cats globally, with some being relatively small and others being considered big cats. Big cats, which include lions, tigers, leopards, and others, are distinguished by their ability to roar due to a ligament in their voice boxes. Big cats live solitary lives with the exception of mothers and cubs, and play important roles in their ecosystems as apex predators. However, many big cat species are currently endangered or threatened due to factors such as hunting and habitat loss.

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Clover Smith
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143 views

Big Cats

There are 38 species of cats globally, with some being relatively small and others being considered big cats. Big cats, which include lions, tigers, leopards, and others, are distinguished by their ability to roar due to a ligament in their voice boxes. Big cats live solitary lives with the exception of mothers and cubs, and play important roles in their ecosystems as apex predators. However, many big cat species are currently endangered or threatened due to factors such as hunting and habitat loss.

Uploaded by

Clover Smith
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Big Cats

There are 38 species of cats on the planet. Most, like the margay, are
relatively small. But some—the lion, tiger, leopard, snow
leopard, clouded leopard, jaguar, lynx, and cheetah—are big. These big
cats are among the most beloved and recognizable animals on the
planet.

Most big cats are members of the genus Panthera. Small and medium
cats, including housecats, are member of Felis. Cheetahs, which do not
have retractable claws, are in their own genus, called Acinonyx. Big cats
are found around the world in habitats as varied as mangrove swamps
in India to wooded forests in the western U.S.

All about that roar

The main difference between big cats and most of their cousins is in the
noises they make. Smaller cats purr; big cats (with the exception of
cheetahs, lynx, and snow leopards) roar. They also squeak, grunt,
scream, and make several other sounds, thanks to a ligament in their
voice boxes. The lion’s roar is the most famous and can be heard up to
five miles away because of the specialized structure of its vocal chords, a
characteristic it shares with the tiger.

Lions are the only big cats that live in groups, called prides. Lionesses
hunt together, bringing down large prey like wildebeests and zebras. All
other big cats live solitary lives, with the exception of mothers and cubs.
Some, like the snow leopard, are especially elusive and rarely seen.

Endangered cats

The largest big cat is the Siberian tiger, which can weigh an astonishing
660 pounds and stretch more than 10 feet nose to tail. It is one of six
surviving tiger subspecies. Tigers have been hunted extensively as
trophies and for use in traditional Chinese medicine and are listed as
endangered by the IUCN Red List.

As apex predators, big cats are bellwethers for their ecosystems. If


they’re doing well, the ecosystem is doing well, and vice versa. As a
whole, big cats are under increasing threats from poaching, habitat loss,
and other environmental factors.

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