They can easily be distinguished from the other two varieties of wild cats since the elastic bone that connects to the hyoid bone enables them to roar.
Within that five there are four great cats, so called because of their size, the snow leopard being the exception. In more recent times, three have been added to the feline hall of fame. The prestigious club now includes the cheetah, puma and clouded leopard, all of whom are athletically gifted.
The Tiger
Considering that tigers are solitary it is remarkable that they can bring down and kill buffalo who weigh in excess of 900 kg. Titan like strength is required to stalk and subdue a creature four times its own size, single-handedly. Unlike lions, tigers love water and have been known to nonchalantly swim distances of several miles with relative ease.
The Lion
The lion’s roar is known to send a chill up the spine of the bravest of souls. On a still night it can be heard from a distance of five miles. Lionesses hunt cooperatively and efficiently by chasing prey into areas where their team members ambush them. They leap on the back of their prey, biting their necks, bringing them to the ground and suffocating them.
The Jaguar
The third largest big cat and the greatest of the New World Cats, the jaguar is the powerhouse and mesomorph of Latin America. Jaguars are weight lifters. They can kill adult horses and drag them to cover and are not shy of taking on caimans (South American crocodiles) either. Their jaws are immensely strong and can penetrate through the shell of a tortoise.
The Leopard
By far the most numerous and cunning of all the big cats, the leopard is the most deadly to humans, despite being on average, a third of the size of tigers. Jim Corbett chronicled his experiences of shooting the infamous man eater of Rudraprayag, said to have preyed on 125 individuals. Leopards exhibit unbelievable power to weight ratio, hoisting prey larger than themselves up trees to dine at their leisure.
The Snow Leopard
Born survivors, snow leopards work and play at around 4000 metres, almost the height of Mont Blanc. Russian Biologists have measured the world record jump by a snow leopard across a ditch measuring 15 metres. They are renowned for their agility too, chasing their prey with reckless abandonment across perilous mountain ranges.
Puma
Pumas should probably be credited with the most athletic accolades. One puma was sighted going about its business at 5800 metres in the Andes. In addition they have jumped vertically over 5 metres into trees and one individual leaped 3.6 metres into the fork of a tree with a deer in its mouth.
The Cheetah
The cheetah is not the strongest of cats and is often hustled for small meals by its bulkier counterparts. It is though, the fastest living land mammal approaching speeds of around 70 mph. The Cheetah’s hyper flexible spine enable it to cover between eight to nine metres in a single bound and unlike the other cats, its permanently extended claws act as running spikes.
The Clouded Leopard
This is the smallest of the big cats but be wary of petting them. They have canines proportionally bigger than the other cats and at 4.4cm match those of the Bengal tiger. Like leopards they are arboreal and have little problem climbing whilst upside down, hanging with ease.
References
Alderton, D. Wild Cats of the World Cassell PLC London 1998
www.earthlife.net/mammals/cats.html
Richardson, D. Big Cats Whittet Books London 1992
Sheshtha, Dr.T. Wildlife of Nepal Curriculum Development Centre Khatmandu 2003
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