12/15/2023 0 Comments Ticked tabby![]() Only the cheetah, the swiftest of all mammals, runs down its prey. Most cats stalk their victims with great stealth and silence even the lion, which lives in open country, usually lies in concealment until it can pounce on its victim. All are able to climb trees, but they vary in their behavior from almost exclusively terrestrial (e.g., the lion) to largely arboreal (e.g., the clouded leopards). They are also good swimmers and members of many species appear to enjoy bathing. The sense of smell is not as highly developed as in the dog its keenness may vary from one species to another.Ĭats are extremely agile they can run faster than any other mammal for short distances and are remarkable jumpers. Their sense of hearing is excellent and, at least in the small cats, can detect frequencies of up to 40,000 Hz or higher. Most cats have good vision and are able to see well in very dim light their color vision is weak. ![]() ![]() The musculo-skeletal system is extremely flexible, allowing cats to arch and twist their bodies in a variety of ways. This mechanism is a distinguishing feature of the cat family, although it occurs in a less developed form in some civets.Īll cats, with the exception of the lynx and related species, have long tails which they use for balance. In all but the cheetah the claws are completely retractile, being withdrawn into protective sheaths when not in use. The ends of the toes bear strong, sharp, curved claws. The fifth toe is set high on the forefoot and does not touch the ground during walking, but it is used in grooming and capturing prey. Their tongues are coated with sharp recurved projections called papillae that aid in drinking and grooming.Ĭats have five toes on the forefeet and four on the hind feet. They have short, wide jaws equipped with long canine teeth and strong molars with sharp cutting edges. All cats have rounded heads, short muzzles, large eyes, sensitive whiskers about the mouth, and erect pointed ears. Of all the carnivores, cats are the most exclusive flesh-eaters and are the most highly adapted for hunting and devouring their prey. It is also known as the jungle lynx but is not a true lynx. It lives in a variety of habitats, especially open woodlands and scrub. chaus, of N Africa and Asia, found as far E as Indochina. The largest member of genus Felis is the jungle cat, F. The small cats are generally ticked, striped, or spotted. Among these cats are the puma (or cougar) and the jaguarundi, genus Puma, the lynx (including the bobcat), Lynx, the ocelot, Leopardus, the serval, Leptailurus, and many small species described by the name cat or wildcat, such as the several golden cats and European wildcat, as well as the domestic cat. The medium-sized and small cats are classified by most zoologists in different genera, but they were previously all put in the single genus Felis, despite the great variation among them. The clouded leopards, Neofelis, and the cheetah, Acinonyx, are big cats that, like the jaguar and snow leopard, do not roar. The great roaring cats, the lion, tiger, and leopard are anatomically very similar to one another and constitute the genus Panthera, which also includes the jaguar and, in some systems, the snow leopard. Cat, name applied broadly to the carnivorous mammals constituting the family Felidae, and specifically to the domestic cat, Felis catus.
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