Page 24 - World of Animals - Deadly Predators

4. How powerful
is a jaguar’s bite?

According to some sources, jaguars have
the highest bite force of the big cats
– some 1,500 pounds per square inch,
crushing and penetrating the brain of its
victims. They have such powerful jaws that
they can drag a 90-kilogram (198.4-pound)
carcass of a tapir (not pictured) from the
water and up into the trees.

© Getty

6. Are snow leopards slow eaters?
5. Are there cats that hunt in water?
Snow leopards will take between three to four days to eat their kill.
Domestic cats are descended from Felis silvestris, a Middle In order to protect their food from scavengers, they’ll remain close to
Eastern wildcat. These wildcats lived in dry, arid conditions where their prey and feed every couple of hours until there is nothing left
there were few large bodies of water, and so they had little to eat. Recent radio-tracking data suggests that they kill prey every
experience of water. Their instinct to stay dry has been passed ten to 15 days.
down generations.
Unlike dogs’ coats, cats’ fur is not waterproof – if it gets wet
the cat’s body temperature is lowered (making it feel cold)
and becomes heavier, which makes it vulnerable to predators.
However, some cats, such as the Turkish Van and Bengal, are
known for their affinity for water and ability to swim.
Some big cats, such as jaguars and tigers, are in fact very
good swimmers – jaguars are known to swim across the Panama
Canal. In the water, these big cats prey on fish, turtles, frogs and
caiman. They use the water even when hunting for land animals.
The aptly named fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is completely
at home in the water and will swim underneath the water to
catch its prey or prevent it from escaping.

Fishing cats start to
play in the water at
the age of two months

© Thinkstock

© Alamy

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