Top 7 Largest Big Cats In The World

 Of all the species on this Earth, big cats

are perhaps the most important for the ecosystems

in which they live, regulating prey populations

and structuring animal communities.

Let’s take a look at 7 Largest Big Cats

in the World and find out what makes them

special.

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

We start our list with a cat that is not only

one of the biggest but IS the fastest of all

land animals on the planet.

With a sprinting speed of up to 70 mph and

0-60 in only 3 seconds, the Cheetah could

certainly take your Prius in a drag race.

This large African kitty’s claws don’t

retract when they run, like your house cat.

Instead, they act like cleats to help the

cheetah reach its top speeds.

Also, when running, cheetahs use their tail

to steer, like a rudder for a boat.

A cheetah's spots cover nearly its entire

body and may serve as camouflage by offsetting

shadows in the gray-hued grasses they inhabit.

Camouflage is not only essential for stalking

prey but also for protecting cheetah cubs

from predators.

On its face, there are black tear lines on

either side of a cheetah’s nose that function

like a football player’s black face paint,

keeping the bright sun out of the big cat’s

eyes while they hunt.

A full-grown adult male Cheetah weighs up

to 150 pounds.

Leopard (Panthera pardus)

With a wide range of Sub-Saharan Africa, northeast

Africa, Central Asia, India, and China, this

spotted cat is also quick on its feet with

a top speed up to around 36 miles per hour.

Not quite Cheetah fast, but faster than your

dog, unless you have a Greyhound.

One thing your dog can’t do though is leap

20 feet forward like the super springy Leopard.

Not bad for a cat that can grow to 165 pounds.

Leopards are skilled climbers and like to

rest in the branches of trees during the day.

They are strong beasts, too, and can carry

their heavy prey up into the trees so that

pesky scavengers, such as hyenas, don’t

steal their meal!

Nocturnal animals, leopards are active at

night when they venture out in search of food.

They mostly spend their days resting, camouflaged

in the trees, or hiding in caves.

When a leopard spots a potential meal, it

approaches with legs bent and head low, so

as not to be seen.

It then stalks its prey carefully and quietly,

until it’s 15 to 30 feet within range.

Then….

pounce!

The leopard dashes forward and takes down

its victim with a bite to the throat or neck.

Small prey, such as small birds or mice, will

receive a fatal blow from the feline’s paw.

Swat!

Fun fact: When wild “dog” species like

Wolves and Hyenas compete for resources with

big cats, the kitties win.

A groundbreaking study of 2,000 ancient fossils

reveals that felids – the cat family – have

historically been much better at surviving

than the “canid” dog clan, and often at

the latter's expense.

The research finds that cats have played a

significant role in making 40 dog species

extinct, outcompeting them for scarce food

supplies because they are generally more effective

hunters.

The verdict is still out on who is the better

house pet.

What do you think?

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)

Despite being called the snow 'leopard', this

big cat is more closely related to the tiger

than the leopard.

And they are smaller than both, but still

big, at up to 121 pounds.

However, like the Leopard, the Snow Leopard

is a long jump champion with a springing leap

of up to 27 feet or over 6 times their body

length.

The snow leopard inhabits the mountains of

central Asia and the Indian subcontinent,

ranging from an elevation of about 6,000 feet

in the winter to about 18,000 feet in the

summer.

And they are perfectly adapted to their cold

baron homes from their camouflage to their

insulating undercoats to their large fluffy

feet that act as snowshoes.

However, specialization has not served the

Snow Leopard well against human encroachment

and is now considered endangered with only

a few thousand of these big cats remaining.

Cougar (Aka Puma and Mountain Lion (Puma concolor)

The cougar, also commonly referred to as a

puma, mountain lion, or panther, is the second-largest

big cat in North America.

Cougars have a similar body to your fluffy

house cat, just on a larger scale.

They practically look like a BIG version of

your little house panther, with slender bodies

and round heads with pointed ears.

Luckily, your house cat doesn’t weigh up

to 150 pounds.

Can you imagine scooping that litter box?

Or having it kneading on your chest to wake

you up to feed it in the morning?

Inhabiting diverse ecosystems from mountains

to deserts to sea-level, the cougar’s established

range includes western North America, a small

region in Florida (a subspecies known as the

Florida Panther), and most of South America.

They make their home anywhere that there are

shelter and prey.

Skilled and cunning hunters, they mostly prey

on deer and small animals.

Cougars stay hidden from their prey until

they can pounce with claws out-stretched.

Cougars can also climb with ease and leap

over 20 ft.

After killing a large animal, a cougar hides

the carcass and eats in the coming days.

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

The word 'jaguar' comes from the indigenous

word 'yaguar', which means 'he who kills with

one leap'.

The jaguar is the third biggest cat in the

world and is the largest cat in the Americas

with males weighing up to 265 pounds.

They’re big, even their impressive tail

that grows up to about 3 feet in length.

Unlike your domestic cat, jaguars don’t

avoid water.

In fact, They often live near lakes, rivers,

and wetlands, and are confident swimmers,

known to cross large rivers.

To the untrained eye, jaguars can be mistaken

for leopards, but you can tell the difference

from their rosettes (circular markings).

Jaguars have black dots in the middle of some

of their rosettes, whereas leopards don’t.

Jaguars also have larger, rounded heads and

short legs.

Jaguars can be “melanistic", where they

appear almost black.

Melanistic jaguars (and leopards) are known

as “black panthers”.

Jaguars have the most powerful bite of any

big cat.

Their teeth are strong enough to bite through

the thick hides of Alligators and the hard

shells of turtles.

They need powerful teeth and jaws to take

down prey three to four times their own weight

- usually killing it with a bite to the back

of the skull rather than biting the neck or

throat like other big cats.

Lion (Panthera leo)

They may only be second largest, but ff all

the big cat species in the world, lions are

the most social.

They live together in large groups known as

"prides".

The size of a pride can range in size from

15 to 40 members.

Male lions can grow up to 10 feet in length

and weigh up to 550 pounds, while female lions

can grow to a length of 9 feet and weigh up

to 395 pounds.

That’s a big kitty.

Known colloquially as the "king of the jungle",

lions do not actually live in jungles.

Instead, their primary habitats consist of

Africa’s grasslands and plains where they

hunt birds, hares, turtles, mice, lizards,

wild hogs, wild dogs, antelopes, cheetahs,

buffaloes, leopards, crocodiles, baby elephants,

rhinoceros, hippopotamuses, and even tall

giraffes.

If it moves, a lion will eat it.

Male lions may get all of the attention with

their majestic manes, but the females do the

majority of the work when it comes to hunting.

Typical, right ladies?

Anywhere from 85-90% of the hunting is done

by the females in a given pride.

The males, meanwhile, protect both the pride

and the pride's territory (which can extend

up to 100 square miles) from rival prides

and other predators.

Even though females do the vast majority of

the hunting, male lions usually get to eat

first!

Tiger (Panthera tigris)

Tigers are the largest cat species in the

world and the third-largest carnivore on land--only

polar and brown bears are larger, oh my.

An adult Amur or Siberian tiger (the largest

subspecies) can weigh up to 660 pounds, although

the Sumatran tiger sub-species may only get

up to 300 pounds.

Tigers are the only cat species that are completely

striped.

They even have stripes on their skin.

No two tigers have the same stripes.

Like human fingerprints, their stripe patterns

are unique to each individual.

Stripes range in color from light brown to

black and are not symmetrical on both sides

of the tiger.

An adult tiger can consume up to 88 pounds

of meat in one meal and will often stay with

its kill and dine over a period of days.

It may not kill again for four or five days.

Unlike most big cats, tigers are powerful

swimmers and have been known to swim great

distances to hunt or cross rivers.

Young tigers often play in water and adults

will lounge in streams or lakes to stay cool

during the heat of the day.

Fun fact: White tigers are not a separate

subspecies nor are they albino.

They are leucistic, the result of a recessive

gene from each parent that affects pigmentation.

White tigers typically have blue eyes.

Tigers and other big cats are keystone species.

They're integral to the health of the ecosystems

in which they live.

As apex predators, they keep prey species

under control.

This protects the vegetation which in turn

maintains the integrity of streams, forests,

and croplands that provide people around the

world with clean air, water, food, and jobs.

When we protect our big cats, we protect ourselves.

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