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| SNOW LEOPARD |
All the big cats are carnivores and
belong to the family of felidae. They evolved from a weasel-like miacids.
Miacids lived on earth 50 million years ago in the Eocene period. They became
so widespread that around 25 million years ago the period was named the
Miocene. The most well-known of that period was the sabre tooth tiger. The
fangs measured up to 20cm. It is assumed that these creature hunted big
plant-eating animals by slashing them
Nowadays, they developed a stalk and
pounce method. With their retractable claws they move soft on their pads in a
typical cat fashion. Then they spring at their victims with their powerful
hind-legs and back.
The big cats are divided into seven
species. They are the lion, leopard, tiger, snow leopard, clouded leopard,
cheetah and the jaguar belonging to the Panthera genus. They all live in Africa
and Asia with one exception the jaguar which lives in South America as well as
in the south west of the United States of America.
The difference between the big cats
and small cats is that the big cat lie with their front legs stretched out and
the small cat tucks it under the front legs. Big cats lie down to eat and the
small cats eat crouching down. Small cats burr breathing in and out but big
cats roar breathing out.
The lion, tiger and leopard are
typical big cats. The jaguar, snow leopard and clouded leopard differ from them
because they do not roar. The snow leopard feeds crouching down like a small
cat. The clouded leopard lies down with the front-paws tucked under like the
small cats. They all have retractable claws but not the cheetah.
Since they are carnivorous they have
to catch their prey either by stalk and pounce or scavenge their meat. Apart
from the cheetah, the rest can only give chase for a short distance. The
cheetah is remarkable because it is the fastest animals on earth. It also can
chase its victim over a long distance and easily outrun it.
When the cat caught its prey it grips
it with its jaws until the animal can't breathe anymore.
Another, they use to cover the prey's nose and mouth with its own mouth to
stop it breathing and dies.
Most cats are solitary hunters. The
tiger can bring down animals bigger than themselves. The cheetah, having a
lightweight body, cannot bring down prey bigger than themselves. Lions hunt in
group and have a technique that two of them panic the prey and chase it
into the waiting group laying in ambush.
The future of those beautiful big
cats is greatly in jeopardy. To begin with, one of their declines was the
reason to be hunted for their beautiful coats. Nowadays, the reason is loss of
habitat. Apparently, for some subspecies it is already too late. The big cats
are mostly are vulnerable and some other are an endangered species. One thing
which helps, the public is aware and the other through conservationists, land
is declared as nature reserves in which no hunting is allowed, nor
logging.
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| LIONESS |
THE LIONS
The lion is the only big cat which
lives in groups. The family groups are called a pride. All the other big cats
are solitary animals and live in forests and bush. It could be because they
live on the open plains that they adapted to this live style and with not a lot
of cover they changed into hunting in a group. Each pride has up to 12 related
females and up to five or six males.
The biggest and strongest of the
males is the dominant over the pride. He also mates mostly with the female. If
a male takes over a pride he usually kills the young ones of his predecessor.
The male is a lot bigger than the female. It is the male who defends the
territory. The females hunt for the whole pride. The male often steals the kill
of other cats.
Lions do not have a specific mating
season. The female gives birth after 100 to 119 days. Each female has
about three to four cubs and all females in the pride have the task to help to
rear them all. After about three months the cubs are being weaned and start on
meat. They still suckle at the same time for another three months. They are
mature enough to mate when they are about three or four years.
THE TIGER
The tiger has several subspecies and
they are all endangered. The Siberian tiger is the largest cat of them all and
can weigh up to 380kg. It develops a layer of thick fat to protect itselves
against the harsh environment it lives in. It has to travel long distances in
search of food in the winter.
The Indian and Bengal tiger is
numerous. It marks its territory by spraying it with urine. It also scratches
trees to mark it. The territory of the Bengal Tiger overlaps with two or three
females and he will challenge any male trying to move in. The female brings up
the cubs alone and they stay with her until they are about two years old. At
the same time she will show them to hunt and defend themselves. Tigers live up
to 15 years in the wild.
THE JAGUAR
Jaguars are one of the big cats
living in the Americas. They live in dense woods, forest and open grasslands
close to water. It lives solitary and hunts anything from deer to frogs. It
also eats fish. It can climb well but mostly catches its prey on open ground.
The jaguar is territorial and will defend it. The cubs also stay with the
mother for about two years.
THE LEOPARD
The leopard is the most widespread
and it is because it is so adaptable in habitat and food. It eats any meat and
even scavenges from dustbins. When it gets challenged the leopard carries his
heavy prey up the tree and puts it safely onto the branches. It is a
great climber.
It is ready to mate at about 30
months and the female gives birth to three or four cubs. She rears them by
herself. When they are 18 months they leave her protection and start living on
their own. The female cubs usually stay closed and sometime share the
territory. Some leopards are black and called black panthers.
THE CHEETAH
The cheetah has a lot of problems. It
needs an open ground with enough cover to conceal itself. It also has a
restricted diet. It is timid and shy and will be dominated by lions and
leopards. When challenge it will leave the kill to them without a growl. Yet
she has a unique grace when chasing prey.
The cheetah's claws are retractable
and therefore blunt. It uses its powerful dew claw to trip up the prey.
The cubs are very vulnerable and
often fall prey to lions and leopards. They are even in danger from their own
kind. When a male wants to mate with the female, he holds her prison and let
the cabs starve to death or their cry for food are heard and killed by other
predators
THE SNOW LEOPARD
The snow leopard lives in a cold
climate and at a high altitude between 3000m and 4000m. Even sometimes as
high as 6000m. It lives in woodland. In the winter it moves down to a lower
altitude in search of food. He eats mammals from a size of gazelles to hares.
It hunts at night and is very shy. It
adapted itself to the harsh environment. His coat is thick and long and his
paws are covered with hairs. In the winter it turns whiter for camouflage.
During the mating season the snow leopard hunts in pairs and this adds to a
successful hunt to feed the cubs.
THE CLOUDED LEOPARD
The clouded leopard is classed as a
species between the big cats and the small cats. It lives in the forests of
south-east Asia and lives mostly up in the trees. It hunts monkeys and tree
dwelling animals. It is a superb climber and descends head first. It 'bat' its
prey with its strong paws. When it hunts on the ground it uses the same method.
It swings from the tree and drops down onto its prey.
