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Animal Information About Big Cats

 

All Cat Facts  Select this option for an easy to scroll list of photos linked to their sounds and information.

Big Cat Rescue is home to over 100+ large, exotic cats representing 23 different species and subspecies.  The larger cats, such as Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Jaguars are called Great Cats or Big Cats.  The smaller are referred to as the Lesser Cats or Small Cats.  

Click on Big Cat Facts at left for links to all of the species pages that will tell you about the animals in the wild.

 

 

 

 

1996 TAXONOMIC AND LEGAL STATUS OF THE FELIDAE

Alan H. Shoemaker (from FelidTAG.org )

330 Shareditch Road , Columbia , SC 29210

 

INTRODUCTION

Until recently, all species of felids, regardless of their size, were assigned to one of only a limited number of genera: Panthera , Acinonyx , N eofelis , Lynx , or Felis . The systematics of many species had been heavily impacted by "lumpers," as opposed to "splitters. " In most instances, large felids were included within the genera " Panthera " while small ones were called " Felis ." Although in recent years this approach has been viewed within increasing intrepidation, recent taxonomic authorities continued to use this approach (Honacki et al., 1982; Corbet and Hill, 1991). Both sources acknowledged, however, that new or anticipated advances in taxonomy would very likely change the way specialists viewed the relationship of all members of the family Felidae; it was only a matter of time.

Legally, the protection afforded felids has grown as coverage by the expansion of both the U. S. Endangered Species Act and CITES expanded. Regulatory agencies and organizations both took a conservative taxonomic approach when preparing their lists of protected wildlife, defining most species of large cats as being members of the genus Panthera , and small cats as being members of the genus Felis .

In 1993, Wilson and Reeder published a major new taxonomic work entitled MAMMAL SPECIES OF THE WORLD: A TAXO N OMIC A N D GEOGRAPHIC REFERE N CE. This work redefines the relationship of many species and genera of mammals, and in the process, greatly impacts felid taxonomy. Already their decisions have been accepted by officials at CITES officials and recent CITES publications of regulated wildlife place most small cats within new genera. These same taxonomic changes are expected to be adopted by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service in their next publication of Endangered and Threatened wildlife. Given the potential for impact that these changes have on all owners of felids, the following list provides both old and new nomenclature for all felids, as well as their present legal status under CITES regulations and U. S. law. It should be noted that under CITES regulations, all felids are protected under Appendix II regulations and only instances of Appendix I protection are listed below.

 

STATUS AND CHANGES

New name (Old name)

Common name

 

CITES

FWS Status

Subfamily Acinonychinae
 

Acinonyx jubatus

cheetah

 

I

E

Subfamily Felinae

Caracal caracal (Felis or Lynx caracal)

caracal

 

I

I (Asian pop. only)

Catopuma badia (Felis badia)

bay cat

 

 

 

Catopuma temminckii (Felis temminckii)

Temmincki's or Asian golden cat

 

I

E

Felis bieti

Chinese desert cat

 

 

 

Felis chaus

jungle cat

 

 

 

Felis margarita

sand cat

 

 

 

Felis margarita scheffeli

Pakistan sand cat

 

 

E

Felis nigripes

black-footed cat

 

I

E

Felis sylvestris (includes Felis catus , ornata , lybica )

European, African, Indian wild cat

 

 

 

Herpailurus yaguarondi (Felis yagouaroundi )

jaguaroundi

 

I

American N orth and Central pop. only

H. y. cacomitli (Felis y. cacomitli)

gulf coast jaguarundi

 

 

E

Herpailurus yaguarondi fossata (F. y. fossata)

Guatemalan jaguarundi

 

 

E

H. y. panamensis ( F. y. panamensis )

Panamanian jaguarundi

 

 

E

H. y. tolteca (F. y. tolteca)

Sinaloan jaguarundi

 

 

E

Leopardus pardalis (Felis pardalis)

ocelot ( N ot covered by CBW permits)

 

I

E

Leopardus tigrinus (Felis tigrinus)

tiger cat, tigrina or oncilla

 

I

E

Leopardus wiedi i   (Felis wiedii )

margay ( N ot covered by CBW permits)

 

I

E

Leptailurus serval (Felis serval)

Serval

 

 

 

L. s. constantina (F. s. constantina)

Barbary serval

 

 

E (Extinct?)

Lynx canadensis (Felis canadensis), (Lynx lynx canadensis)

Canadian lynx

 

 

T in lower 48

Lynx lynx (Felis lynx)

Eurasian lynx

 

 

 

Lynx pardina (Felis or Lynx lynx pardina)

Spanish lynx

 

I

E

Lynx rufus (Felis rufus)

bobcat

 

 

 

L. r. escuinapae (F. r. escuinapae)

Mexican bobcat

 

 

E

Oncifelis colocolo (Felis colocolo)

pampas cat

 

 

 

Oncifelis geoffroyi (Felis geoffroyi)

Geoffroy`s cat

 

 

I

Oncifelis guigna (Felis guigna)

kodkod

 

 

I

Oreailurus jacobitus Felis jacobita

mountain, Andean cat

 

I

E

Otocolobus manul (Felis manul)

Pallas`s cat

 

 

 

Prionailurus bengalensis (Felis bengalensis )

leopard cat

 

 

E

P. b. bengalensis (F. b. bengalensis ) (Indian, Thai, Bangladesh pop. as I)

leopard cat

 

I

 

P. b. iriomotensis (Felis or Mayailurus iriomotensis)

Iriomote cat

 

 

E

Prionailurus planiceps (Felis planiceps)

flat-headed cat

 

I

E

Prionailurus rubiginosus (Felis rubiginosus)

rusty-spotted cat

 

I (Indian pop. only)

 

Prionailurus viverrinus (Felis viverrinus )

fishing cat

 

 

 

Profelis aurata (Felis aurata)

African golden cat

 

 

 

Puma concolor (Felis concolor )

puma, mountain lion

 

 

T

P. c. cory (F. c. coryi) (Free-living pop. in FL only)

Florida panther

 

I

E

P. c. costaricensis (F.c. costaricensis)

Costa Rican or Central American puma

 

I

E

Puma concolor cougar (F.c. cougar)

Eastern cougar or puma

 

I

E

Subfamily Pantherinae

Neofelis nebulosa

clouded leopard

 

I

E

Panthera leo

lion

 

 

 

P. l. persica

Asian or Indian lion

 

I

E

Panthera onca

jaguar ( N ot covered by CBW Permits)

 

I

E

Panthera pardus

leopard

 

I

(Southern African pop. as T) E, T

Panthera tigris

tiger

 

I

E

Pardofelis marmorata (Felis marmorata)

marbled cat

 

I

E

Uncia uncia (Panthera uncia)

snow leopard

 

I

E

REFERENCES

Corbet, G. B.; Hill, J.E. A WORLD LIST OF MAMMAL SPECIES, THIRD EDITION. New York , Natural History Museum Publications, Oxford University Press, pp. 113-114, 1991.

Honacki, J. H.; Kinman, K. E.; J.W. Koeppl (eds.). MAMMAL SPECIES OF THE WORLD. Lawrence , KS , Allen Press, 1982.

Wilson . D. E.; D. M. Reeder. MAMMAL SPECIES OF THE WORLD: A TAXONOMIC GUIDE AND GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE, SECOND EDITION . Washington, DC , Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993.