#10 Mountain Lion (aka Cougar, Puma, American Lion)
The mountain lion, like the wolf, the grizzly bear, and the mustang, is a great symbol of the American West. It is a large cat that inhabits dry, arid and mountainous regions of the western United States. They are actually credited with having one of the largest geographical ranges of any cat. At one time they ranged all the way from Canada to Argentina. Their long tails and powerful hind legs make them excellent climbers and leapers.
#9 Jaguar
The jaguar is a powerful cat that dwells within the jungles of the Amazon Rainforest in South America. Very rarely, it can also be found in the United States. They are the largest cat in the Americas, and the third largest big cat in the world, behind lions and tigers. Unlike most felines, they do not mind the water, and are sometimes seen swimming, playing and hunting in water. They are also known to have tremendously powerful jaws, among the most powerful of all big cats. Whereas most cats kill their prey by biting through their windpipe, the jaguar actually kills by crushing the skull of its victim. If you've ever wondered how to tell the difference between a leopard and a jaguar, here are a few key points:
- The jaguar is only found in the Americas, primarily South America. Leopards are found in Africa.
- Jaguars are bigger, heavier and more muscular than leopards. You can see this especially in the head; jaguars have very round, powerful heads.
- Leopards have very small rosette markings, whereas jaguars have large, broad rosette markings on the coat.
#8 Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is an unusual wild cat that inhabits the forests of southern China. They are actually much smaller than most big cats, reaching only 10-16 inches in height. Their tails are extremely long, which enables them to balance and climb exceptionally well. Interestingly, the clouded leopard is thought to be a modern relativeof the sabre-tooth, because their canine teeth are larger than any other cat's relative to skull size.
#7 Lynx
The lynx is a beautiful and mysterious cat, known for the distinctive tufts of fur on its ears, and the thick ruffs on its cheeks. They live in forested, mountainous regions of North America and Eurasia. They have unusually large paws which act as snowshoes, enabling them to walk over deep drifts of snow without sinking. The tufts on their ears actually help to enhance their hearing.
#6 Caracal
Very similar to the entry in #7, the caracal is a medium-sized bob-tailed cat with long tufts of fur on its ears. But whereas the lynx lives primarily in cold climates, the caracal is native to the desert regions of Africa and the Middle East. They are stunningly beautiful cats, with sleek tawny-golden fur and a fierce expression, enchanced by their long, pointed ears. They are known to be excellent leapers, able to jump straight up and capture birds in flight.
#5 Black Panther
Truly a predator of the night, the black panther has always been one of my favorite cats. The black panther is actually just a leopard or jaguar with an all-black coat, due to excessive amounts of melanin (black pigment) in the fur. If you look closely, you can usually still see the typical spotted patterns of the leopard or jaguar beneath the black. The gene that produces this melanism is more common in leopards than jaguars.
#4 Snow Leopard
Almost more a creature of myth and fable than reality, the snow leopard is practically a living gem. It is considered the rarest cat in the world. Very few people have seen one in the wild, as it lives in the snowy heights of the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world. To me they are a beautiful and mystic creature, drifting in and out of the falling snow like ghosts. Like the clouded leopard and the mountain lion, they have a very long tail (it can actually reach 3 feet in length) which helps them balance as they race up and down rocky cliffs after their prey. There has been a massive effort to conserve the habitat of the snow leopard due to its dwindling numbers.
#3 King Cheetah
Another unusual-looking cat resulting from a genetic mutation, the king cheetah is actually a typical African cheetah, but with a different coat pattern. The picture above shows the difference between the usual cheetah markings, with the small, widely dispersed spots, and the pattern of the king cheetah, with has thick black bars running down the back, and broader spots on the rest of the body. The mutation that causes this coat pattern is rare, and at first it was thought that king cheetahs were a separate species. I already thought that cheetahs were beautiful cats, but the king is simply breathtaking.
#2 White Lion
The ordinary lions of Africa are indeed magnificent and regal creatures, with their billowing, golden manes. But few sights could be more beautiful than that of a great white lion, standing alone against the golden expanse of the savannah, like a diamond in the sand. The white lion, like the black panther and the king cheetah, is the result of a genetic mutation that causes paler coloration in the fur. It is this same unusual mutation that produces white tigers. They are not albinos; albino animals have unusual pigmentation in the skin and the eyes (hence the red eyes albinos have). White lions, however, have normal pigmentation in their eyes and skin.
#1 Siberian Tiger
The true king of all felines... The Siberian tiger is the largest cat in the world, standing at least 3 1/2 feet at the shoulder and weighing anywhere from 400-600 pounds. The Siberian is the largest tiger species, and it is distinguished by the thicker ruffs of fur that sprout from its cheeks, and the greater expanse of white on the face. (If you were to compare a Siberian and a Bengal side-by-side, you'd find the Siberian to be bigger and broader in the face, shorter in the muzzle, and heavier in the body) Sadly, there are very few of them left in the world. To me, though, the Siberian tiger is the grandest of all cats -- the most beautiful, the most powerful, the most graceful, and the most stunning... Very few animals could rival the sheer beauty of this creature, and I hope someday soon that we are able to save them from the brink of extinction.
