Lion

The lion is a very unique animal. They are the only big cats to have a distinct difference between the male and female. Males have a long mane around their neck while females do not. And unlike most big cats, they are not solitary. They live in groups called prides. Lions are the second biggest cat (the tiger is the first). They have a solid color coat that ranges from light yellow to reddish brown. Lions are also the only big cat to have a tuff on their tail.

 

In a pride female and male lions play different roles. The females will generally hunt for food together and will raise the cubs together. The males will defend the pride from outside lions, mate with the females, and are the first to eat or drink in the pride. There is usually one or two alpha males and many females. Males have to fight and win against the alpha male in the pride to be able to take over. Females will stay with the pride for life, unless food get scarce and they have to move. 

Cubs are born around the same time, and are cared by the females of the pride. Some females will nurture their young, but if food is scarce some will abandon their young. Cubs will feed from all females, which gives the neglected cubs a chance at survival. The cubs will eat last after the females in the pride. Mother lions will have 2 to 3 cubs. The female cubs will stay with the pride and the male cubs will be driven off at 2 years. A lion's life span is 10 to 14 years. 

Lions live in Africa, south of the Sahara desert. There are also a small amount of lions in Asia. Traditionally lions had 12 subspecies, some have been determined as invalid, now only 8 are usually accepted.  They are the Asiatic, Barbary, West African, Northeast Congo, East African, Katanga, Transvaal, and Cape lion. The Barbary and Cape lion are extinct. There is a white lion, they are not albino they just carry a recessive pigment gene. Lions are considered vulernable, and not endangered, though they have lost many of their numbers to poachers.

Female lions hunt together for their pride. They use teamwork to bring down their prey. Because of that teamwork they can bring down large animals. Lions will eat wildebeest, zebra, hippos, young elephants, giraffes. They will also eat smaller animals such as warthogs, antelopes, and crocodiles. Lions are also scavengers as well as hunters. They will eat meals taken away from animals like hyenas and cheetahs. These meals make up 50% of their diet. 

The mane of a male lion is unique among the big cats. The darker the mane is the healthier the lion is. Male lions do not usually hunt because of their mane. When male lions run their mane will over heat them. Also the mane does not help camoflage the lion, which does not help if they are trying to sneak up on prey. A lion's mane will help him seem bigger and more powerful to others. 

Credits:

"Lion Pictures, Information and Facts." Bigcat.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. <http://www.bigcat.com/lion.aspx>.

"Lion." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion>.

          

 

Tiger

Tigers are the most powerful of the big cats. They have an orange coat with black stripes which is very useful for camoflage. Their paws, front legs and jaws are very powerful and used for killing their prey. Tigers have small ears, yellow irises, and white hair around their neck. Also their stripes, like a zebras, are never the same as another tiger. 

Tigers live in Southeast Asia, with a life span of 10 to 15 years. They are nocturnal, and will use the night and the reeds or long grass as camoflage when ambushing prey. Tigers are also excellent swimmers, with their strong jaws, shoulders, and legs they can carry up to 300 pounds while swimming. 

Tigers are solitary cats and like to hunt alone. They can kill their prey with just a swipe of their paw or bring will it down by their weight and strangle it with their jaws clamping around their prey's neck.(Wonderful I know, just to show you how powerful they are.) They will eat a variety of animals depending on where they live. Normal prey are water buffalo, wild pigs, deer, monkeys, hares, bears, antelope, leopards, crocodiles, and pythons. Some old and injured tigers have been known to hunt humans and domestic animals, though this is usually because they just are not able to hunt what they normally hunt. 

Mother tigers will have 3 to 4 cubs and live with for about 2 to 2 1/2 years. They will come out of the den at 8 weeks old. 

There are only 6 out of 9 subspecies left of the tigers. They are the Bengal, Indochinese, South China, Malayan, Siberian, and Sumatran. The largest being the Siberian (about 700 Ibs) and smallest being the Sumatran ( about 300 Ibs). Bengal tigers are the most common subspecies. All species of tigers are endangered mostly due to habitat loss and poaching.

White tigers are not a different subspecies by themselves, they are tigers that have had both parents carry a rare recessive pigment gene. The dominant of this gene is the orange pigment most tigers have. White tigers are not considered albino, they still have black stripes down their back and have blue eyes. Due to the popularity of white tigers zoos have been breeding them in captivity, as they are very rare in the wild. Only a small amount of white tigers exists, leading to a small amount of tigers to chose from that have that ressesive gene. Because of this zoos have inbread white tigers. That has lead to birth defects among the tigers which include scoliosis and crossing of the eyes (strabismus). Zoos are now trying outbreading, the breeding of orange and white tigers, and are hoping for more white tigers. 

Credits: 

"Tiger Pictures, Information and Facts." Bigcat.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://www.bigcat.com/tiger.aspx>.

"White Tiger." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_tiger>.

Snow Leopard

The snow leopard is one of the most beautiful big cats. This rare cat lives in the snowy mountains of Central Asia. This big cat's coat is white to blend in with the snow. On its coat it has a rosette pattern, which is similar, though not quite the same, to a leopards. Due to its cold habitat the snow leopard's body has adapted. It's ears are small to let less body heat out, and a thick fur coat to keep the cold out. Their nasal cavities are larger so they can get more oxygen in the cold air. To help keep their balance snow leopards have a big, thick tail, which they can also use as a blanket. Their paws are large to help them stay on top of the snow. 

                                        

Snow leopards are solidarity hunters and are the least aggressive of all big cats. They mainly eat sheep and goats, although if they feel threatened they will leave their prey behind. Snow leopards often chose to attack their prey from above on a mountain side. Two fun facts are the snow leopard can jump up to 50 feet. Although snow leopards are considered big cats, they can't roar. Instead they growl, mew, hiss, and wail.

    

Exact information such as life span and population is hard to determine due to the cat's secretive and reclusive nature. Their population is believed to be between 3,500 and 7,000 in the wild, and their life span is around 15-18 years. Mother snow leopards have 2 to 3 cubs per litter and they build their dens in rocky locations which are lined with fur. The cubs will stay with their mother until they are 18 to 22 months old, though they are full grown at 4 months.

     

Snow leopards are an endangered animals. They are a target for poachers due to their beautiful fur and some parts of their body are used in traditional Asian medicine. Addition to their usual prey, snow leopards will hunt livestock. Herders who depend on their livestock see the leopards as a threat and will also kill them. Another threat to snow leopards is loss of habitat. People are moving into snow leopard territory and driving the cats out. 

                                    

   

Credits:

"Snow Leopard Pictures, Information and Facts." Snow Leopard Information. Big Cat, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.bigcat.com/leopard.aspx>.

"Behavior." Cat Facts. Snow Leopard Trust, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.snowleopard.org/learn/cat-facts/behavior>.

    

    

  

National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia

The National Geographic's Animal Encyclopedia is very interesting to me. It tells about tons of different animals and gives a picture and lists a couple facts about them. The book gives a classification as a heading, then it lists animals under that category. What really catches your eye are all the pictures of the animals. I found it very easy to read and get lost. What interested me is that all the different species on all the one page. I like comparing the species in their appearance and size. I found a lot of animals that I was familiar with, but I also found a couple new ones and some interesting ones that I can blog about. I like this book a lot and for me reading an encyclopedia is fun and interesting, but that might not be the case for all people. I would get another animal encyclopedia to read after reading this. I would say be prepared for how big it is, it lists a lot of the animals, and there are a lot of animals in the world so don't expect it to be a small book. Overall if you are looking to further your knowledge about animals, I would recommend National Geographic, Animal Encyclopedia.

Black Panther

Black panthers are the ninjas of the rain forests. People rarely hear them coming because of the fur on their paws. Their black fur helps them camouflage with the shadows of the jungle. Although it is hard to see black panthers have spots on their coat which is why they are also referred as black leapords. Black panthers are tree climbers out of all the cats in the big cat family. They also tend to bring their kill up in the tree with them so their snack is safe from other predators. 

Mother panthers raise their cubs till they become 2 years old. But they start hunting when they are only 2-3 months old! When the cubs go their separate ways they will live a solitary life, with an average life span of 12 years.

 A panther is actually a big cat species that has a different pigment fur than its common species. To put it simpiler a panther isn't its own species, it's a combination of big cats species that have a different fur color. Zoologist call the different pigments melanism. Some species that a panther can come from are leapords, jaguars, and cougars. Because of this black panthers are a rare animal.

Credits:

"Panther Pictures, Information and Facts." Big Cat Pictures, Information and Videos. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013. <http://www.bigcat.com/panther.aspx>.