Cats are the most carnivorous of all the carnivores. This means that they feed almost entirely on other animals with backbones. All cats are hunters and their good eyesight plays an important part in this: in good light they see about as wall as humans do, but in poor light their vision is six times sharper. Hearing and smell is less well developed than in the dog family. There are seven types of big cat species and 28 species of small cats in the world.
Cheetahs are animals of the grassy plains and are now vary rare. This is the first type of wild cat species in the world. They hunt the smaller antelopes and the young of some larger ones. Cheetahs are the fastest moving of all mammals and often run down their prey with a tremendous burst of speed. A Cheetah can sprint at about 96 km/h (60 mph) but only for a short time. An average chase lasts 20 seconds. A Cheetah’s claws are blunt, so it kills its prey by knocking it off balance and throttling it. This is very successful and about half of its chases end in a kill.
Cheetahs Wild Cat Picture
The jaguar’s beautiful blotched coat camouflages it in the South American forests, where it is usually found near water. Jaguars are good swimmers and sometimes they feed on fish. They are active specially in the night, when they hunt large ground prey such as peccaries, tapirs and capybaras.
Jaguar Wild Cat Picture
Leopards live in much of Africa and Asia in forests, grasslands and even deserts. They climb trees very well and often rest up in the branches. They also hide the remains of their meals in trees, out of reach of most scavengers. Occasionally a leopard will drop straight down on its prey as it passes beneath the tree. The mainly hunt medium-sized grazing animals such as small antelopes and pigs, but they will resort to smaller prey such as rabbits, rats or even insects. Leopards are far rarer than they used to be. Their homes have been destroyed and they have been hunted for their beautiful skins. Now they are protected in some places, so their numbers may increase.
Leopard Wild Cat Picture
The puma is the biggest member of the cat family found in North America. It is active mainly at twilight, feeding on anything from mice to adult deer. They puma is sometimes called the cougar or the mountain lion. Although it may be as big as a leopard or jaguar it is more closely related to the small cat. Pumas live alone. They do not have fixed dens, but travel through their territories, which are usually over 30 sq km (12 sq miles). They have very powerful hind legs, and it is said that they can leap upwards more than 5 m (16 ft).
Puma Wild Cat Picture