10 Types Of Big Cats

10: Smilodon

Smilodon is often called a Saber Toothed cat.  It was the biggest Saber Toothed cat. Smilodon had a very strong jaw and neck muscles, which let him to strike his prey with its deadly teeth. It was a short tail cat, but the body is about 6 feet in length and 500 pounds heavier. This Saber Toothed cat was endemic to North and South America, living during the Pleistocene epoch 10,000 years ago. It lived during the last Ice Age, in which the Earth got much colder than it is now.

9: Dinictis

Dinictis is the ancestor of modern cats, also known as false Saber Toothed cats. Dinictis was named by American paleontologist Joseph Leidy in 1854. Dinictis looked and hunted like a cat, but it hunted all over North America in a much earlier period before the emergence of true cats, so the reason the label False Saber Toothed cat. Dinictis had 2 feet long legs with short feet and the body of Dinictis was about 4 feet long and 100 pounds heavier. Dinicits existed about 10 million years ago.

8: Scimitar cat

Scimitar Cat also known as Scimitar Tooth Cat. It was the only member of Homotherium. This huge cat lived in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa about 5 million years ago.  It was very strong and had the height of 3.6 Feet with long front legs and short back legs with a slope back, which help him to run very fast over the speed of 60 MPH. It was very stout canine teeth and a short tail, like Saber Tooth Cat.

7: Thylacosmilus

Thylacosmilus is one of several carnivorous mammal of the genus commonly called Sabre toothed cats. They live in South America, mostly Argentina, about 10 million years ago. Thylacosmilus was 6 feet long and have short legs. Thylacosmilus has long Sabre like upper canines seem to have continued to grow throughout their lives and kept tucked in bags of skin on the lower jaw, like a modern kangaroo. They were very strong and brutal as the Jaguar.

6: Puma

Puma is also known as a Mountain Lion. With its vast range along the entire length of North and South America, this cat has a lot of names in English, of which Puma, Cougar, Mountain Lion but Mountain Lion is much popular. Puma prefers habitats with dense undergrowth and rocky areas for prosecution, but can also live in open areas. While large, this is not always the top predator in its class, behind the Jaguar, Gray Wolf, American Black Bear and Grizzly Bear. This inaccessible and usually avoids people.

5: Cheetah

Cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. They live in Africa, Europe and Asia, but mostly in Africa. There are six subspecies of Cheetah. Cheetah is vulnerable specie, of big cats is less able to adapt to the new environment. Its thin and fragile body makes it well suited for running with speed in short distance, but does not run on long distance. Cheetah is usually shorter bodied, but from 60 to 90 cm tall and has a long tail, so it looks more streamlined.

4: Leopard

The leopard is the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera. Leopards may sometimes be baffled with two other large spotted cats, the Cheetah and the Jaguar.  As Jaguar those Leopards which are melanistic known as the Black Panther. They have relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. Leopard looks like a Jaguar, but is smaller and more slightly built. It’s unique ability to climb trees, even when carrying a heavy corpse. Its habitat ranges from tropical forest to deserts. Leopards are fast and hidden predators.

3: Jaguar

Jaguar is the third largest Big Cat after the Tiger and the Lion. This spotted cat most closely resembles the leopard physically, but it can also be found in black color. Although it is usually large and strong, and it's behavioral and habitat characteristics are closer to the tiger. This fierce Cat can be found in a variety of forest and open areas. This is largely due to the presence of water and features, along with Tiger. Jaguar has an exceptionally powerful bite, even when compared with other Big Cats. Jaguar is mostly solitary, opportunistic, stalk and ambush predator.

2: Tiger

Tiger is the largest specie of the Cat, reaching a total body length of up to 11 Feet and weighing up to 306 KG. There are six subspecies of Tiger in 4 different colors. Tigers live 20 to 26 years, which also seems to be their longevity in the wild. They are territorial and generally solitary but social animals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey necessities. Male tigers are generally more fanatical of other males within their territories than females are of other females.

1: Lion

Lion is one of the members of the genus Panthera. They are the mightiest predator in the world, they are also known as the King of the Jungle. They live in the groups called pride. Pride has a dozen of lionesses with 3 to 4 lions whose are brothers and sons. Lionesses are the primary hunter, and they hunt in a group with a great strategy and speed. They are able to hunt at the age of 2 and are fully grown after 5 or 6 years. Lions are in 10 different colors around the world.