Information on Big Cats

When a naturalist uses the term "big cats," she is referring to the four species of cats that can roar. These cats are found in different regions of the world and vary in size. The big cats are carnivores, as are all cats, and subsist by hunting mostly at night. All four of the big cats have seen their numbers decline, with loss of habitat and persecution within their range--man being the major reason for this.
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# While all cats are members of the family known as Felidae, only the big cats can roar due to the way the bone structure in their throats is set up. Big cats are all in the genus Panthera. Tigers, lions, leopards and jaguars all differ from the smaller cats in that when they eat, they will normally be lying down.
Tigers
# Tigers are the largest of the big cats with the Siberian tiger reaching weights up to 700 lbs. Recognized by its orange coat with black stripes, the range of the tiger has been greatly reduced in modern times with populations existing in India, Indochina, Russia and other portions of southeast Asia. Tigers can reside in different kinds of forests, swamps and jungles. Tigers have been known to attack, kill and eat humans, but for the most part, their diet consists of mammals, such as deer and wild pigs as well as birds, monkeys, fish and other suitable prey.
Lions
# The lion is the second largest of the big cats and is Africa's biggest carnivorous land mammal. Males average around 400 lbs. and can be 11 feet long if you include their tail in their total length. Lions are the only social species of cats, living in groups called prides. While lions were once all across Asia from India to southwest Asia and into parts of Europe, the species is now relegated to Africa south of the Sahara Desert, with a small number in the Gir Forest of India. Lions mainly hunt and eat animals, such as zebras, warthogs and wildebeests, but are capable of bringing down creatures as big as hippos and elephants when banding together.
Leopards
# Of the four big cats, the leopard is the most athletic; it is able to swim, leap as high as 10 feet and run up to 36 miles an hour. The leopard has the largest range of the big cats, extending from most of Africa into the Middle East and westward into India and southeast Asia. The leopard can be as long as 6 feet and weigh 150 to 175 lbs., making them the smallest of the big cats. Leopards have distinct black spots on their coat, which can be a range of colors from chestnut to jet black. Leopards are very strong. They will kill an antelope heavier than they are and then take its carcass into a tree to eat it.
Jaguars
# The jaguar is the sole big cat that lives in the western hemisphere. Much like leopards, jaguars are heavier and more muscular with shorter tails. Jaguars are excellent swimmers and part of their diet includes caimans and other aquatic creatures. Jaguars will stalk their quarry and then ambush it. Animals like tapirs, capybaras and deer species are commonly killed and eaten by the jaguar, which lives from the extreme southern desert southwest in the United States through Mexico and into almost all of South America. Deserts, rain forests, swamps and grasslands can all support jaguars.