Page 16 - World of Animals - Issue #30

Cats: from tigers to tabbies

The diversity

of cats

Whether big or small, all cats share
a number of traits that shape them
into graceful hunters

The 36 species of wild cat all belong to the family
known as Felidae. Over their millions of years on this
planet, they have conquered every continent except
Australasia and Antarctica.
The rusty-spotted cat is the world’s smallest wild cat,
weighing a mere 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds), while the
biggest is the Siberian tiger at a hefty 300 kilograms
(660 pounds). The diversity within the family is huge;
cats are able to live in a wide range of habitats, from the
snow leopard living high in the chilly mountains, to the
jaguar living in the dense, humid jungle. Despite living
in different parts of the world, all cat species share an
incredible ability for hunting, which they are equipped
for with retractable claws, long tails for balance, and
low-slung bodies. Their eyes are perfectly adapted for
low light, which helps them to stalk prey at dawn and
dusk, while their muscular build gives them the power
needed for a successful attack. The leopard is by far the
strongest, able to carry prey twice its weight up a tree.
While their hunting prowess is similar, vocal
communication differs between species. Only the big
cats from the pantherine lineage are able to roar, and
a lion’s roar is so powerful it can be heard up to eight

kilometres (five miles) away. But the ability to roar
comes at a price. Lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars
have a length of tough cartilage in the neck preventing
them from purring. No cat in the world can both roar
and meow but no matter the species, cats mostly
communicate using subtle body language.

Unique paws

The cheetah has its unusual paws to
thank for its success
Cheetahs have been placed into their own
category, or genus, because of their unique
paws. While all other cats are able to retract
their claws to prevent getting stuck or caught
on objects, cheetahs are not able to. As the
fastest land mammal on Earth, it’s thought
that this helps them run at speed as the claws
dig into the ground. At one time, population
numbers were so low that cheetahs went
through a phase of heavy inbreeding and now
the genetic material of two unrelated cheetahs
is so similar, they could almost be twins.

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