Cat History

Felidae are 'cat-like' vertibrate animals classified as mammals of the carnivore order (meat eaters having large canine teeth). As carnivores, cats are at the top of the biological "food chain". Miacids, the first true carnivores, lived some 60 million years ago. The Miacids gave rise to the Viverravines, from which the 'cat family' ultimately evolved.

Interestingly, the carnivore having the most highly developed 'sabre teeth' was Barbourofelis fricki... a member of the family Nimravidae, which are thought to have been cat-like mammals entirely separate from the family Felidae, but whose development paralleled that of family Felidae. The emergence of this lion-sized 'super' sabre-tooth carnivore happened some where between 7 and 15 million years ago.

Based on fossil evidence, the earliest 'true cats'...Proailurus... made their appearance in Europe about 30 million years ago. In the Americas the oldest 'cat' fossils discovered date from about 16 million years ago.

Proailurus is a genus name. A genus is a group of animals or plants within a family which are closely connect by common characteristics. Genus (genera) is divided into species. Species are a biological group of individuals closely related in structure and capable of breeding usually only within the group. Aside from the similarities of appearance and retractable claws (yes, the cheetah can partially retract its' claws) there is one unique common denominator among all members of the family Felidae... the ability to purr. Purring is characteristic only to cats.

Today there exist three genera of the family Felidae. A fourth genera, Smilodon, the sabre_toothed species of family Felidae, became extinct about 9,400 years ago, and had no ancestral ties to felis cattus (the domestic cat we know and love). Taxonomically, the Species of Cat consists of 38 recognized species of cats... six greater cats (Panthera), one cheetah (Acinonyx), and 31 lesser cats (Felis) including the domestic cat of which there are 40 plus recognized breeds.

The Panthera genera of family Felidae consists of the larger or greater cats... cats with the ability to roar. These cat species include tigers, lions, leopards, (all of which are Old World cats) and the Jaguar (a New World cat).

The tiger (Panthera Tigris) is the largest cat species (adult male Siberian Tigers can weigh up to 800 pounds). Of the original 8 species of tiger, only 5 remain... the Siberian (the largest of the tigers and known to occupy a territory of up to 4,000 square miles per tiger), the Bengal, the Indochinese, the South China, and the Sumatran. The Bali, the Javan, and the Caspian species are extinct. Sadly, today in the wild, these magnificent cats are teetering on the brink of extinction... largely due to poaching and loss of habitat.

Siberian Tiger

Lions (Panthera Leo) are the only true "social" cat species... living together in groups called "prides" which consist mostly of related adult females (usually up to 12), their cubs, and up to six males (one of which is the "pride leader"). Adult male lions can weigh up to 600 pounds, while the adult females are somewhat smaller. (Other species of cats lead mostly solitary lives... the adults coming together only for the purpose of breeding.)

There are only two species of lion… a subspecie, the Asiatic lion (which can now only be found in the wild in the Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary of India) and the African Lion (which can be found through out all of Africa, but mostly in eastern and southern Africa). The 1990 census at Gir counted 221 adult Asiatic Lions living within the park and another 30 to 40 living in the surrounding agricultural areas. Today African Lions are protected by law on wildlife preserves such as Kruger National Wildlife Park, Republic of South Africa (a 9,000 square mile wildlife sanctuary), but otherwise they are still hunted.

The roar of a lion, usually a proclamation of territory, can be heard up to 3 miles away. Taking down prey is usually a group effort lead by the female members of the pride, but the 'pride leader' always gets his share first and the cubs eat last. Few lion cubs live to become breeding adults, but not due to neglect. Cub mortality can be attributed to the harsh realities of survival in the wild. Cubs succumb to starvation, predation, disease, or injuries, and sometimes the jaws of a new male "pride leader" that cannot tolerate the progeny of his predecessor or rival. However, male lions are quite affectionate with their "own" cubs.

The leopard (Panthera Pardus) is the smallest of the big cats (they can weigh up to 200 pounds), but pound for pound the leopard is the most capable hunter of all the big cats. A grown leopard would have little problem taking down an adult male Eland (the largest and heaviest of the African antelopes… adult male Elands can reach 6 feet high at the shoulder and can weigh up to 2000 pounds and both sexes have long, slightly spiraled horns).

Leopards are very muscular, agile tree-climbers, and they spend considerable time in trees. Leopards can easily haul prey weighing 2 to 3 times their own weight high into the branches of trees, where they can enjoy their meal without being harassed by other predators.

Leopards are also the most widely distributed of the big cats… leopard habitat can consist of the desert, the wooded savannah and the temperate and tropical forests of Asia and Africa. Leopards also vary greatly in size and coat color… probably due to the particular habitat in which they live. For example, the beautiful, but endangered Snow Leopard of central Asia lives on the steep mountain slopes in the higher elevations. Snow Leopards have luxuriously thick, spotted (on an off-white or grayish background) coats that provide not only warmth, but also camouflage in their rocky environment. Another magnificent leopard on the endangered specie list is the Amur Leopard, whose long, thick, beautifully spotted pelt has long been much prized (like that of the Snow Leopard). All leopard species in the wild are suffering from loss of habitat and poaching.

The Jaguar (Panthera Onca) is probably the least known of the big cats… because they are so rare in the wild, most of what we know about these cats has been learned by studying them in captivity. Living in the shadows of the forests and swamplands, Jaguars are a New World cat… that is they can be found only in the Americas… mainly Mexico, Central, and South America... although, they have been seen, very rarely, as far north as southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Like most of the other big cats, the handsome Jaguar of the Americas is hovering on the brink of extinction in the wild due to habitat destruction (deforestation) and poaching.

Jaguars love being in water (they are excellent swimmers like their cousins, the tiger), and like leopards, Jaguars can easily climb trees. Adult male Jaguars can weigh up to 250 pounds, making them the largest cat species in the Americas, including North America. Although Jaguars resemble leopards (they both have spotted coats)… they are distinctly different cats.

In general, the Jaguar has a more muscular, more compact body, with shorter, stockier legs, and the spots on the Jaguars' coat are larger, and generally, fewer. One common similarity between Jaguars and leopards is melanism… the condition that makes the coat appear to be black (although, the spots are still present and can be seen in certain light conditions).

The genera Acinonyx consists of the cat species cheetah (acinonyx jubatus)... the most primitive of all modern cats. The cheetah is the only member of genus Acinonyx. This is one unique cat! Evolving some 18 million years ago, the cheetah is a tall, slim, long-legged cat, built along the lines of the greyhound. Its' claws are only semi-retractable, and it has a distinctly dog-like muzzle. It is easily tamed and trained to the hunt and is the fastest four-footed animal on Earth, having been clocked at 70+ miles per hour. Long ago the cheetah could be found all over the world. The cheetah has been on the decline for many years, and unfortunately, due to loss of habitat and in-breeding, faces extinction.

The genera Felis is comprised of the smaller or lesser cat species... cats that cannot roar. The largest of these cats is the cougar (mountain lion)... Felis Concolor. Some of the other species also found in this genera are the ocelot, the serval, the lynx and the bobcat (both having the distinctly different appearance of a bobbed tail and ear tufts), and our beloved domestic cat (Felis Cattus... also known as Felis Domesticus). Like their larger cousins, many of these beautiful wild cats belonging to genera Felis are becoming more rare in their native habitats... due to loss of habitat and hunting or poaching. Again, sadly, many of these species are listed as endangered.

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