Who is the largest of the cats. The cat family. Wild cats. Big and small cats
It's hard to believe, but one of the most formidable predators in the world, a lion and a small kitten belong to the same cat family. They are easy to identify by the natural grace inherent only in cats, retractable claws and a short flattened muzzle.
Tiger - striped perfection
This is the largest wild cat in the world. In size, the tiger is second only to the bear. The weight of a tiger can reach 250 kg, height at the withers is up to 1.15 cm. The body length of an adult predator is more than 3 meters. The largest tiger was killed in the middle of the last century in India, its weight was 388 kg. Currently, only six subspecies remain, the habitat of which is concentrated in Asia.
A strong muscular elongated body, a more developed front, a round head with a prominent skull and a bright striped color - this is a brief portrait of a tiger. The most common color is red (of varying intensity) with black stripes, but individuals with white and golden colors also come across. Such unusual colors are associated with genetic 
violations.
The tiger is a territorial animal and always hunts alone. The feeding territory of one animal is from 300 to 500 km. Tigers rarely quarrel among themselves; in the event of a decrease in the number of prey, attacks on livestock and people begin. With excellent night vision, the tiger prefers to hunt in the morning or evening. The tiger prefers to follow in the footsteps of the victim or wait for her in ambush, for example, near a reservoir. Unlike a lion, a tiger is very concerned about cleanliness; before going hunting, he always bathes or falls out in the snow to fight off the smell that can scare away prey.
A tiger can attack people if the boundaries of its territory are violated or if the food supply is reduced. Humans are easy prey for this predator.
Now, due to a decrease in the population, such cases are extremely rare, and a tiger, when meeting with a person, 
prefers to retreat. But earlier, attacks by man-eating tigers were recorded more than once. The Bengal tigress is widely known, on account of which the lives of more than 400 people. It has been suggested that a tiger that has tasted human flesh will continue to prefer this type of prey.
All subspecies of tigers are endangered and are listed in the Red Book. The hunting territories of tigers are protected by the state. A breed of cat was bred that resembled a tiger in miniature, called a toyger.
Amur (Siberian) tiger
In the photo: the largest wild cat in the world - the Amur tiger.
A serious and beautiful predator with thicker and longer fur compared to other subspecies. The only one of the tigers, on the stomach, which has a fatty layer to protect from the cold. The largest population of these animals lives in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories, it has about 500 individuals. In neighboring countries, the number of this tiger is very small due to valuable fur and ingredients valued in oriental alternative medicine.
Even in the last century, the number of the Amur tiger was so great that special detachments were sent to hunt for them. And in less than 50 years, the number of this predator has decreased to 200 individuals. Now, thanks to the efforts of biologists, the population has increased.
However, at the moment, the Amur handsome man is under the threat of extinction.
Lion is the king of the animals
A dangerous predator, who is no stranger to nobility and grandeur. The weight of a lion can reach 250 kg, and the height at the withers is about 123 cm. The length of the body ranges from 170 to 250 cm. In its structure, the lion is very similar to the tiger. The color varies from dark brown to sandy. Lions are the only ones from the family of large wild cats that have a small tassel at the tip of the tail. Females differ from males not only in their smaller size, but also in the absence of a mane, the main decoration of a lion. They don't call him for nothing 
gentleman of the world of predators. His proud, majestic demeanor and noble warning about the beginning of the hunt with a regal roar make one admire and admire this animal from afar.
The only ones from the family of big wild cats do not live alone, but in original families - prides. Usually a pride includes females, cubs up to three years old and several males. The leader, an experienced and strong male, leads the pride. During hunting, females usually serve as beaters, while males wait in ambush. It is almost impossible for an outside lion to get into the pride, an exception is made only in the case of a vacant place for a female. As a rule, the number of pride is the same and is obviously regulated depending on the food supply.
The surviving range of lions is located in Africa, and a small population is found in India.
Leopard (panther) - the most insidious of wild predatory cats
A dangerous and unpredictable predator from the cat family. In terms of jaw power, it is not inferior to its larger counterparts to the tiger and lion, although it is not as impressive in size. The growth at the withers of an adult leopard is no more than 80 cm, and the weight is up to 100 kg. The length of the body is from 120 to 195 cm. The body of this animal is elongated, light, somewhat compressed on the sides. The leopard has very beautiful spotted fur, thanks to which the leopard population has thinned greatly. 
It climbs trees well, although it prefers to hunt on the ground. An excellent swimmer, therefore it easily overcomes water obstacles and does not disdain a fish. It can sit in ambush for a long time and lie in wait for prey. The natives of the area where leopards are found are much more afraid of them than their larger relatives. Too quickly and unexpectedly they know how to attack from trees and misfires are rare. Leopards drag their prey up a tree to protect them from other predators. These predators hunt at night and are always alone.
Black-colored individuals, called panthers, appearing in litters are considered more aggressive than the normally colored leopard. They got this color from the increased content of the hormone melatonin.
Jaguar is America's largest wild cat
This predatory inhabitant of the selva of Central and South America is very similar to a leopard, but much more massive and larger than it. The height at the withers is 63-76 cm, and the weight is approximately 90 kg. The body length of the jaguar can reach 185 cm. This representative of the cat is a solitary hunter, both males and females carefully guard 
their territory from their own kind and from other predators. Only during weddings do jaguars flock together, fights between males are rare - the choice is made by the female. She also raises kittens until they are old enough to defend their territory.
The prey of the jaguar can be caimans, crocodiles, peccaries, snakes, turtles, monkeys and other small and not very inhabitants of the selva and reservoirs. This predator does not disdain livestock. Attacks on humans are rare.
In many countries, the jaguar is listed in the Red Book and hunting for it is strictly prohibited. In others, such as Mexico, limited shooting is allowed.
Puma (mountain lion)
America's second largest predatory wild cat. The height at the withers is 60-90 cm, the length of the body is up to 180 cm, and the weight is not more than 100 kg. The body of the cougar is elongated, the legs are short, strong, the hind legs are more massive. The head is small. The color of cougars ranges from reddish to gray. 
Cougars are found in almost all types of terrain: in the mountains, and in forests and on the plains. The cougar is a loner night hunter and her prey are numerous ungulates, she does not disdain birds, fish and insects. This predator does not distinguish between wild herbivores and livestock and willingly kills those who come to hand. Moreover, the cougar often kills more animals than it can eat. There have been cases of attacks on people. As a rule, children or short people walking alone are attacked.
Despite the incessant hunting and the narrowing of the habitat, the population of cougars is sufficient, large, since this predator easily adapts to other living conditions.
Cougars are found throughout South America, the western regions of North America and the Yucatan.
An unusually beautiful leopard with smoky gray fur with black spots. The irbis lives high in the mountains and occasionally descends to the foot, following the migration of ungulate herbivores. In appearance, this strong cat resembles a leopard, but is more stocky and shallow. The body of the snow leopard is stretched, slightly raised in the region of the sacrum. The height of the withers is not more than 60 cm, and the body length ranges from 103 to 130 cm. The main habitat of the snow leopard is South and Central Asia.
Irbis rarely attacks humans and livestock. This can only happen if the cubs are protected. Irbis live in pairs and hunt together and raise offspring.
They feed, train and raise their cubs, and the female ruthlessly plucks the fur from her stomach to warm the den.
Now all over the world there are no more than 7 thousand individuals of the snow leopard. Unfortunately, snow leopards practically do not breed in captivity, so the population of these magnificent animals continues to decline. It is almost impossible to meet this rare endangered species in the wild, the snow leopard carefully avoids people.
Cheetah is the fastest predatory cat
In a cheetah, both dog and cat features are bizarrely combined. A short body, long slender legs, like a canine, but paws, color and ability to climb trees are from cats. Scientists have long deduced the cheetah as a separate species of large cats, but according to the latest molecular studies, the cheetah still belongs to the subfamily of small cats. And the dimensions of this cat are as follows: height at the withers up to 75 cm, body length up to 140 cm, and weight reaches 65 kg. The color of the cheetah is yellow-sand with black dots scattered all over the skin. 
Females, except during the rearing of puppies, hunt alone. And males can stray into groups, usually consisting of littermates. With such a flock, they defend the territory and females from other cheetahs. Unlike most cats, they are diurnal predators. Large flat spaces make hiding places impossible, and cheetahs use a very different strategy. They approach the victim at a distance of 10 meters and then make a quick dash, the speed of which can reach up to 115 km / h. But cheetahs can move at such an accelerated pace no more than 400 meters. So, if the prey managed to escape, then the cheetah will simply rest and go looking for a less dodgy prey.
The history of the cheetah and its service to man is interesting. In ancient times, this animal was widely used in hunting wild animals. Devotion, honesty and ingenuity were highly valued by hunters from various countries: Byzantium, France, India and Russia. Cheetahs were not only excellent beaters, but also easily tamed and showed great affection for their owners. They were led on leashes like dogs, they were played with without fear of injury. The image of a cheetah (in Russia they were called pardus) is on the Hagia Sophia. But at some point, perhaps after the arrival of the British in India, who loved to organize sport hunting for cheetahs, they became just predators.
Unfortunately, the number of cheetahs is declining at an alarming rate. The main factor in the extinction of the population is the plowing of savannahs - the natural habitats of cheetahs.
Recently, closely related mixing due to the small number of animals has joined the causes of extinction. At the moment, there are no more than 4,500 cheetahs in the world.
In custody
Human activity has caused irreparable damage to the population of all wild predatory cats. Some species are lost forever, others are constantly under the threat of complete extinction. If this continues, then only one predator will remain on Earth - man.
I've been introducing them to you all year. You admired them, each of them was called the most beautiful. But it's time 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 maybe some are not for everyone, but I am sure that each of them is worthy of attention and each has fans. Personally, I could not unambiguously choose the best. In my TOP 3 mark at least twenty contenders.
This article has been updated for the 5th time. Initially, I wanted to show you all the felines in one place. As it turned out, even the most inveterate "cat lovers" knew far from everyone. So my work was not in vain.
Well, let's define Miss Kitty 2017?
If suddenly you see this article for the first time, let's first try to figure out what pussies are and how they differ from each other, but then vote anyway !!!
All cats, without exception, are predators. And they belong to the squad of predators, and then this squad is divided into two suborders: canids 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!
And this is what this family looks like in the subfamily / genus / species projection:
Subfamily Small cats (Felinae)
- genus Cheetahs (Acinonyx)
You can find out more and subscribe
I really count on you, my dear wildlife lovers!
You can read the original of this article (full version).
The variegated cat family, numbering 37 species, is divided into two groups according to 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 include both representatives of the subfamily of large and small cats to the largest wild cats.
10.
Of all the cats that inhabit European forests, the largest is the common lynx. The body weight of the male is about 29 kg, females are 4-6 kg lighter. The length of the body 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.
An animal with tassled ears and a short tail seems cute and harmless. But under a spotted thick coat hides a skillful and cunning hunter, able to smell prey at a distance of 2 km. Hares, foxes, birds, rodents and small ungulates such as roe deer and musk deer become its victims. The lynx never attacks people. Even an adult caught by a man is easily tamed and becomes a pet.
9. Snow Leopard
To date, the number of snow leopards is unknown. Irbis, living 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 meters 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 crevices.
The four-legged inhabitant of the mountain peaks resembles a leopard in posture and size. The growth of the male reaches 65 cm, weight - 55 kg. Fluffy gray-beige fur reliably protects from the cold and camouflages in snow-covered gorges. A distinctive feature of the exterior is a meter 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 a 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 direction.
In appearance, the sprinter of the world of fauna 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 are not inclined to eat carrion. The sounds they make are reminiscent of jerky yapping. Unlike most relatives, cheetahs quickly get used to humans. In Iran, India and Kievan Rus, tamed animals often helped people hunt.
7. Leopard
Muscular elongated body, strong legs and excellent eyesight make the leopard an ideal killer. Pursuing prey, a 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 able to kill a victim 3 times its mass. The hunter always raises the desired trophy on a tree for a subsequent meal.
The size of the predator directly depends on the geographical features of the range. So, the four-legged inhabitants of open spaces grow up to 75 cm, the inhabitants of forests - up to 67 cm. Decorated with a spotted pattern, short thick hair fits snugly to the body. The belly and the inside of the legs are light yellow, the rest of the body has a golden brown hue. Individuals with black color are called panthers.
6.
This representative of the cat family is the champion in the number of names. Residents of different countries know the cougar 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 cougar's habitat is the forests and mountainous regions of America. The silhouette of the predator resembles a small lioness. The growth of the golden beauty is 60–85 cm, weight is about 90 kg. A distinctive feature of the character of the cougar is patience. Waiting for the prey, she sits in ambush for a long time, betraying her presence in no way. Once in a trap, the mammal calmly tries to get out of the grip. In case of failure, he falls into melancholy and motionlessly awaits a fatal outcome.
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. The intricate coloring helps to perfectly camouflage among shrubs and trees. In the pursuit of prey, the jaguar has no equal. The hardy mammal travels tens of kilometers every day, it swims beautifully and runs fast. The hunter kills with one jump - a powerful paw strike can break the victim's spine.
The range of jaguars is Central and South America. The Olmec Indians, who inhabited these lands in the 2nd century BC. e., believed that people and huge spotted cats have common ancestors. Today, the graceful animal, once revered by man, is endangered and listed in the Red Book.
4. Leo
On the planet it is impossible to meet two absolutely identical lions. The features of the "face" of each animal are unique and are inherent in only one individual. The body length of the royal persons of the world of fauna 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 sharpness of which is 6 times higher than that of a human. Running is not the strongest side of the predator. At short distances, the giant cat accelerates to 60 km / h, but after 200 m it gets tired and stops chasing prey. The lack of stamina causes the animal to approach the victim as close as possible and, in a swift jump, inflict a mortal blow. Lionesses are lighter and faster than males, and therefore, more successful in fishing.
3.
On the territory of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and China, the royal representative of the panther genus, the Bengal tiger, lives. In Russia, its population is 5 individuals. The predatory mammal is one of the largest cats in the world. The growth of a tropical forest dweller reaches 115 cm, weight - 275 kg. An intimidating roar is heard at a distance of 3 km. 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 coat 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 on the territory of Russia, in the Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories and the mountainous regions of Sikhote-Alin. Outside the Russian Federation, the beast is found only in the northeast of 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 the withers - 110–120 cm;
- weight - 167–280 kg;
- fangs length - 8 cm.
Like all cats (except lions), Amur tigers lead a solitary life, protecting 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, its extermination is prosecuted by law. In China, killing a striped beast is punishable by death.
1.
The result of the love of Isla the tigress and Arthur the lion, who shared a common enclosure in the American theme park Jungle Island, was a kitten, who was later destined to lead the ranking of the largest cats on the planet. Having reached maturity, the liger Hercules surpassed the size of its parents. His height is 186 cm, weight - 410 kg. Standing on its hind legs, the giant reaches the roof of a double-decker bus. The gaping mouth is not inferior in width to the shoulder girdle of an adult male.
Hercules is not the only representative of the hybrid genus. In 1973, the Guinness Book of Records added an entry about a giant weighing 798 kg from a South African natural park. In 2004, a female was born in the Novosibirsk Zoo - the result of crossing an African lion and a Bengal tigress. Under natural conditions, it is impossible to meet a liger - tigers and lions have different habitats.
The international forum on issues related to the conservation of tigers on Earth will be held in St. Petersburg on November 21-24.
The tiger (Panthera tigris) is a species of predatory mammals of the cat family, one of the four species of the so-called "big cats" of the genus Panthera (Panthera).
The word "tiger" comes from the Greek tigris, which in turn goes back to the Old Persian word tigri, which means "sharp, quick".
There are nine subspecies of tigers in the world, of which six are still found in nature: the Malay, Amur, Bengal, Sumatran, South China and Indochinese tigers.
Three subspecies, such as the Caspian, Balinese and Javanese, were exterminated by humans or became extinct due to the destruction of their habitat.
The tiger is the largest and heaviest of the wild cats, but its various subspecies vary greatly in size and body weight. The mainland subspecies of the tiger are larger than the island ones. The largest of them are the Indian (Bengal) and Amur subspecies, the males of which can reach up to 2.3-2.5 m, and in some cases up to 2.6-2.8 m in length without a tail and weigh up to 275 kg.
The length of the body without a tail in different subspecies ranges from 1.4 to 2.8 m. The tail is 60-100 cm (in the Amur up to 110-115 cm). Height at the withers up to 1.15 m.
An adult male in nature usually weighs between 180 and 250 kg; Amur, according to modern data, weighs an average of 180-200 kg; Bengal, living in northern India and Nepal, - 235 kg. Females are usually noticeably smaller than males, their weight is 100-181 kg.
The record recorded mass of a tiger belongs to a Bengal tiger shot in northern India in 1967, which was 388.7 kg. The record mass of the Amur tiger was 384 kg, but these data are provided from undocumented sources. The record in captivity for the Amur tiger is 423 kg.
An adult tiger, like most other cats, has 30 teeth. Well-developed fangs, which can be up to 8 cm long, help the tiger to kill prey. The long and movable tongue is equipped with special tubercles on the sides, which are covered with keratinized epithelium and allow you to separate the meat from the victim's skeleton. These bumps also help with "washing".
The basic color tone of tigers ranges from rusty red to rusty brown; the belly, chest and inner surface of the paws are light. There are also light markings on the back of the ears. The body is covered with stripes, the color of which varies from brown to completely black.
In India, white tigers are sometimes found and specially bred, in which brown stripes are located on a white background. These animals have blue eyes.
The shape and spacing of the stripes varies among subspecies, but most tigers have more than 100 stripes. The arrangement of the stripes is unique to each individual animal, and thus can be used to identify individual individuals, similar to human fingerprints.
The tiger's body is massive, elongated, muscular, and flexible. The tail is long, evenly pubescent. The head is rounded. The ears are small and rounded. Tanks on the sides of the head. The hairline is dense and low in the southern subspecies, high and fluffy in the northern ones. There are five toes on the front paws, four on the hind paws, all with retractable claws.
Tigers have well-developed night vision, and according to some reports, color vision is also partially inherent in them. Like all representatives of the panther genus, the tiger, due to the structure of the larynx and vocal cords, is able to roar, but basically it gives a voice only during the mating period.
The tiger is an exclusively Asian species. The historical range of the tiger was in the Far East of Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and the countries of Southeast Asia, including the Sunda Archipelago (Indonesian Islands).
At present, this predator has survived in northern Iran, northern Afghanistan, Hindustan (mainly in the north of the peninsula), Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Indochina, the Malay Peninsula, Java, Bali, in some provinces of South and Northeast China, on north of the Korean Peninsula. Within Russia, a small population of tigers exists only in the Far East, mainly in the Primorsky Territory.
In general, the tiger is highly mobile and sometimes wanders far beyond the boundaries of its permanent habitats. For example, cases of tigers entering the northern tip of Lake Baikal, the Chita region and even Yakutia are known. In the southern regions of the range, tigers live in mountainous and flat tropical and subtropical forests, impenetrable thickets along the banks of water bodies, in impassable thickets of thorny bushes, and similar places that are deaf and difficult for humans to pass. In Russia, the tiger lives in the age-old mixed forests of the Manchurian type, covering the slopes of mountains and hills. For the quiet existence of this predator, it is necessary to have comfortable dens, an abundance of wild ungulates, and the proximity of watering places.
Adult tigers are territorial animals, leading a solitary lifestyle and fiercely defending their territory. Tigers mark their territories in a variety of ways. Territory marking with an individual scent is one of the main ways of communication in tigers.
The size of a tiger's home territory is highly dependent on habitat, abundance of prey, and, in the case of males, the presence of females in the area. A tigress can have a territory of about 20 square meters. km, while the territory of males is usually much larger - 60-100 sq. km. The routes of movement of tigers across their territory are constant.
The average daily movement of an adult male is 9.6 km, the maximum is 41 km. The average daily movement of the female is 7 km, the maximum is 22 km.
In the wild, tigers mainly feed on ungulates. The prey of the tiger, in the first place, are wild boars, deer, roe deer. Also, tigers can prey on large herbivores such as Indian buffalo, gaur, and elk. In addition, from time to time, tigers also feed on animals that are not typical for their diet, such as monkeys, pheasants, hares, and even fish.
It is not difficult for a tiger to catch the inhabitants of reservoirs, because he loves to swim and swims well. For ungulates, he hunts by hiding or from an ambush. At the same time, the tiger, despite its huge size, shows great caution, dexterity, the ability to disguise itself and move completely silently in the forest thicket. The tiger has such tremendous strength that, when attacking, it bites and breaks the vertebrae even of large animals (for example, a buffalo), and then drags the carcass sometimes for several kilometers. With a lack of wild ungulates, tigers can destroy livestock and dogs. Among tigers, especially in tropical countries, cannibals sometimes appear.
Throughout its range, the tiger is at the top of the food pyramid and experiences little competition from other predators. A tiger eats up to 30-40 kg of meat at a time. Starved large males can eat up to 50 kg of meat. A tiger may stay with a killed deer or wild boar for several days, during which it eats the carcass. Tigers endure the absence of a food base without prejudice to themselves, due to the presence of subcutaneous fatty tissue.
Polygamy is typical for a tiger. Mating occurs in December-January. In areas with a low number of individuals, only one male follows the female. There are fights between males for the right to mate with a female.
Most females give birth for the first time at 3-4 years of age. Pregnancy of the female lasts 97-112 days (average 103 days).
The lair is arranged in the most inaccessible places: in crevices among stones, in caves, among windbreaks, reed supports.
There are usually 2-4 tiger cubs in a litter, rarely one, even more rarely 5-6. Tiger cubs are born blind, helpless, weighing 1.3-1.5 kg, but after about 6-8 days they begin to see clearly. For the first six weeks, cubs feed on their mother's milk. The cubs grow up under the supervision of the mother, who does not let the male near the offspring, as wandering males can kill tiger cubs.
At the age of 8 weeks, the cubs become able to follow their mother and leave the den. Finally, young tigers are ready for independent life at the age of approximately 18 months, but usually stay with their mother for 2-3 years, and sometimes up to 5 years.
After the start of an independent life, young females usually remain close to the territory of their mother, while young males go long distances in search of their own territory; usually they have to win their own territory from other males, or, if the tiger population is small in the area, they occupy empty territories.
Life expectancy of a tiger: in nature - 10-15 years; in captivity - 20-25 years.
The tiger is under international protection, listed in the IUCN Red Book (Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature), in the Red Book of Russia, Appendix 1 of CITES, as well as in the protection documents of other countries.
Since 1947, there has been a complete ban on hunting tigers. In 1955, the trapping of tiger cubs was banned and then strictly limited.
The main factor limiting the number of tigers is human economic activity and hunting: both for trophy (mainly for the sake of the skin) and for medicinal purposes (many organs and body parts of the tiger are used in traditional oriental medicine).
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
All cats are beautiful, but big cats of the wild are perhaps the most beautiful animals on earth. In zoos, the only place where you can easily watch large felines, cages with tigers, lions, leopards are always surrounded by a crowd of spectators. It's hard to say why people like these ferocious predators so much. Perhaps for us they are the embodiment of an unattainable harmony of strength, beauty and dexterity.
Cheetahs are very fast animals, but they are not ideal hunters.
Photo: Philip J. Briggs/PantheraCheetah cubs are born in the "mantle" - with a strip of long hair along the back. This helps them hide in the grass.
- Proud of the powerful engine of your car and the fact that you can rush from a traffic light, leaving everyone far behind? This is because a cheetah has never stopped in front of a zebra next to you. This animal accelerates from zero to 64 km/h in a few jumps, and accelerates to 96 km/h in just three seconds! The maximum recorded running speed of a cheetah is 103 km/h.
- Although cheetahs are very fast animals, they are not ideal hunters. Only in half of the cases, the pursuit of a cheetah ends with the capture of prey. To grab the prey, the predator makes the last super effort, which can last only 20-60 seconds, and if the animal misses, then it remains only to retreat. Thus, huge energy costs for pursuit are wasted. In this sense, ambush hunting is much more economical and efficient.
- A fossil cheetah, now extinct, has been discovered in North America. One piece of evidence that cheetahs once lived there is a living species of ungulates that lives on the continent. This pronghorn is the fastest of the antelopes, capable of speeds up to 48 km/h. Now such speed of the pronghorn is redundant - none of the current predators is able to catch up with them, and once it saved them from the ancient cheetahs.
- Cheetahs are able to make do with very little water, they can only drink once every three to four days.
- The cheetah as a biological species is millions of years old, but its future fate is under great threat. In 1900, there were about 100,000 cheetahs in the world, now only 9-12 thousand remain in the wild, of which about 200 are in Iran.
Cougars are masters at hiding, it is very difficult to notice this big cat in nature.
Photo: Brad Boner/Panthera 
Photo: Mark Elbroch/Panthera Cougars usually give birth to two to four cubs, which stay with their mother for up to 1.5–2 years.
- This species claims the Guinness Book of Records for the number of names - only in English - there are about forty of them. The cougar is called the mountain lion, the North American lynx, the ghost cat, the panther, and even the mountain screamer.
- Cougars can't roar. Instead, they make chirping or long, howling sounds, and, of course ... affectionate purring.
- Cougars hunt from ambush, often letting prey within a single, but powerful and accurate jump. Thanks to this tactic, these animals have developed extraordinary abilities. In one jump, a cougar can jump up to 4.5 meters from a place, and jumping on prey, especially from a hill, cover a distance of 12.5 meters.
- It is not for nothing that they say: there is fish for lack of fish and cancer. The main prey of cougars are deer, but if there is a shortage of them, then they are content with everything that is edible, including insects. It seems that when catching the latter, no less dexterity is needed.
- The population of cougars in the world is quite stable, and only the subspecies living in Florida (North America) now has only about a hundred individuals.
Jaguars have a unique coloration compared to other big cats in the wild.
Photo: Luke Hunter/Panthera Camera traps help scientists study these elusive animals.
- The skin of the jaguar is painted with intricate patterns of spots called "rosettes". Like rosebuds, such spots have a distinct dark edge, a lighter core, on which, in a leopard, a number of smaller dark brown spots are placed.
- Jaguars used to be found all over South and Central and North America, but now the narrowing of habitats and hunting have reduced their numbers to 15,000 individuals. So the jaguar is an endangered species.
- Usually cats do not like water, but the jaguar completely refutes these stereotypes. This big cat in nature simply enjoys the water - enjoys swimming, diving, playing in the water and even fishing in rivers and streams. There is evidence from naturalists that jaguars dip their tail into the water to lure fish.
- The jaguar has the strongest jaws of all feline species, their compression force is more than 900 kg! This is twice as much as that of a lion, and according to this indicator, the jaguar is second only to the hyena, the record holder among mammals. With its jaws, the jaguar easily bites through the shell of a turtle, not to mention any, the thickest bone.
- Translated from the language of the Indians, the word "jaguar" means "killing with one jump", which indicates the incredible hunting skill and strength of the animal.
Leopards hunt on the ground, but they feel at home in the trees.
Photo: Laila Bahaa El Din/Panthera 
The leopard's spots help them blend in with the colorful backdrop of their habitat.
- Leopards are found throughout Africa and Asia, and have adapted well to a wide variety of environments, from dense jungles and grassy savannahs to deserts.
- Leopard females bring cubs at any time of the year. Usually it is one or two kittens that live with their mother until they are two years old, learning to hunt.
- Leopards are not the largest cats in nature, however, they are much stronger than one would expect. The leopard has a stocky, muscular body with strong muscles, and therefore they effortlessly drag even the largest prey up the tree to hide it from scavengers.
- Leopards are not picky and are ready to eat anyone who is within a jump distance. So their menu often includes not only wild pigs, but also snakes, monkeys and even porcupines.
- There are nine subspecies of leopards, and each of them is in danger of extinction. In the most critical situation is the Javan leopard, represented on the planet by only 200 individuals, and the Amur leopard, which has only 20 animals.
The lion is the only social animal in the cat family.
Photo: Neil Midlane/Panthera Male lions rarely take part in the hunt, but they earn their prey by protecting the pride.
Photo: Nick Garbutt/Panthera All pride females take care of the cubs, regardless of which of them is the biological mother.
- Members of the lion pride show touching tenderness to each other on vacation, and during the hunt they act as a well-coordinated team to repel the victim from the herd.
- If conditions are favorable and there is plenty of food, female lions can remain in the pride for the rest of their lives. But the males, having reached puberty, leave the family, forced out by the dominant tribesman. Such loners sometimes stray into "teenage gangs" and roam the savannah in the hope of creating their own pride, which they will protect from outsiders.
- The terrifying roar of a lion can be heard at a distance of five kilometers.
- Lions and tigers are very close species, anatomically extremely similar to each other. Looking at their skeletons, only experts can tell which is the lion and which is the tiger.
- Since the 1950s, the lion population has halved, and now these big cats have disappeared from 80% of their historical range. According to the latest data, less than 30,000 lions live in Africa today.
Snow leopards can cover record distances
Photo: Christian Sperka/Panthera Snow leopards live in the extreme conditions of the cold, barren mountains of Central and South Asia.
- In snow leopards, the forelimbs are shorter than the hind ones, and their paws are larger. This unique body structure allows snow leopards to maintain balance and move easily in mountainous terrain. Thanks to their long and strong hind limbs, leopards make dizzying jumps - up to 14 meters long - over rocky ledges, pursuing no less agile prey.
- Snow leopards cannot roar like a lion. The sounds they make are like hissing, meowing, puffing and growling.
- Snow leopards are relatively small, weighing only 27 to 54 kilograms, but can catch prey three times heavier than themselves.
- Snow leopards travel great distances. A record of one cat was recorded, which passed more than 43 kilometers in one night and 150 km in five days. Such amazing endurance helps snow leopards move from one area to another in search of prey, which is quite rare in the cold mountainous area where snow leopards live.
- There are between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards left in the world. It is difficult to give a more accurate figure due to the extremely secretive lifestyle that these animals lead. But secrecy, unfortunately, does not help them - the destruction of natural habitats, human intervention in nature and poaching are inexorably reducing the number of the species.
Tigers are solitary and are the largest cats in the wild.
Photo: Nick Garbutt/Panthera Larisa Solodovnikova
What canned food is best for cats?
ATTENTION, RESEARCH! Together with your cat you can participate in it! If you live in Moscow or the Moscow region and are ready to regularly observe how and how much your cat eats, and also do not forget to write it all down, they will bring you FREE WET FOOD KITS.
Project for 3-4 months. Organizer - Petkorm LLC.