Tigers

 
Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength.
There were eight tiger subspecies at one time, but three became extinct during the 20th century. Over the last 100 years, hunting and forest destruction have reduced tiger populations from hundreds of thousands of animals to perhaps fewer than 2,500. Tigers are hunted as trophies, and also for body parts that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. All five remaining tiger subspecies are endangered, and many protection programs are in place.
Bengal tigers live in India and are sometimes called Indian tigers. They are the most common tiger and number about half of all wild tigers. Over many centuries they have become an important part of Indian tradition and lore.
Tigers live alone and aggressively scent-mark large territories to keep their rivals away. They are powerful nocturnal hunters that travel many miles to find buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large mammals. Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes). They lie in wait and creep close enough to attack their victims with a quick spring and a fatal pounce. A hungry tiger can eat as much as 60 pounds (27 kilograms) in one night, though they usually eat less.
Despite their fearsome reputation, most tigers avoid humans; however, a few do become dangerous maneaters. These animals are often sick and unable to hunt normally, or live in an area where their traditional prey has vanished.
Females give birth to litters of two to six cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male. Cubs cannot hunt until they are 18 months old and remain with their mothers for two to three years, when they disperse to find their own territory.

Jaguars, the largest of South America's big cats, once roamed much of the Americas. Today they are found in only a few remote regions.

Photograph by Joel Sartore
Map
Jaguar Range

Fast Facts

Type:

Mammal

Diet:

Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:

12 to 15 years

Size:

Head and body, 5 to 6 ft (1.5 to 1.8 m); tail, 27.5 to 36 in (70 to 91 cm)

Weight:

100 to 250 lbs (45 to 113 kg)

Protection status:

Near Threatened

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

Jaguars are the largest of South America's big cats. They once roamed from the southern tip of that continent north to the region surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border. Today significant numbers of jaguars are found only in remote regions of South and Central America—particularly in the Amazon basin.
These beautiful and powerful beasts were prominent in ancient Native American cultures. In some traditions the Jaguar God of the Night was the formidable lord of the underworld. The name jaguar is derived from the Native American word yaguar, which means "he who kills with one leap."
Unlike many other cats, jaguars do not avoid water; in fact, they are quite good swimmers. Rivers provide prey in the form of fish, turtles, or caimans—small, alligatorlike animals. Jaguars also eat larger animals such as deer, peccaries, capybaras, and tapirs. They sometimes climb trees to prepare an ambush, killing their prey with one powerful bite.

Most jaguars are tan or orange with distinctive black spots, dubbed "rosettes" because they are shaped like roses. Some jaguars are so dark they appear to be spotless, though their markings can be seen on closer inspection.
Jaguars live alone and define territories of many square miles by marking with their waste or clawing trees.
Females have litters of one to four cubs, which are blind and helpless at birth. The mother stays with them and defends them fiercely from any animal that may approach—even their own father. Young jaguars learn to hunt by living with their mothers for two years or more.
Jaguars are still hunted for their attractive fur. Ranchers also kill them because the cats sometimes prey upon thei

Lions

The lion is called the king of all animals. It also used to be called as the king of the desert however lions never lived and do not live in any desert. Their colour may vary from yellowish to brownish and males can be from blond to black depending on the region the lion lives in. The lion males weigh up to 420 pounds and are about 50 inches tall. On the other hand the average females weigh approximately 300 pounds and are 42 inches tall. They have got muscular body covered with a beautiful fur, strong legs with sharp retractable claws and a long tail.

Panthera leo lives in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia. There it feeds on a huge variety of animals. When preying it can reach the speed of 60 km per hour and leap even 12 metres. No animal is safe when the lion is preying even not the lions themselves. It eats games, rodents, turtles, lizards, fishes, birds, giraffes, cheetah, jaguars, leopards etc. He tends to eat its prey at once, but occasionally the lion has to hide it because of hyenas. Hyenas are the only animals which kill lions for food. But sometimes hyenas themselves end up as a lion’s prey.

The lion lives in small unites (families) made of 20 to 30 members. In each unit there is one or are few mature males with couple of females with small cubs. Even when preying these members cooperate and then eat the prey together. At the age of 5 the lions breed and the gestation time lasts about 15 weeks. After giving birth,the small cubs have closed eyes and weigh approximately 4 pounds. When having a rest lions usually lie in the grass close to the water source and only occasionally rest in the trees. Unfortunately the lion population is endangered mainly because of the poachers and the trophy hunters.

cheatah (my favorate big cat)

Unlike other animals which have gender specific names - 'bull' and 'cow' for elephants; 'rooster' and 'hen' for chickens - humans apply the name 'cheetah' to both sexes. Cheetah in the wild may be divided into 2 groups: the family group/females and males.
Females/Family Group
Young females usually occupy the same range as their mother although ALL females are solitary except when they have a litter. Average female home ranges extend to 833 square kilometers (322 square miles). A female raises her cubs alone since adult male and female cheetahs mix only to mate. The average life span of wild radio-collared female cheetahs is 6.9 years which compares to 11.7 years for females in captivity.
A cheetah is carnivorous and eats a variety of small animals. While most cats are nocturnal predators, the cheetah is primarily diurnal, hunting in early morning and late afternoon. Since it depends on sight rather than smell, it likes to scan the countryside from a tree limb or the top of a termite mound. Other big cats chase only a few hundred meters: the cheetah chases 3.4 miles (5500 meters) at an average speed of 45 miles per hour (72 kilometers per hour).
The name "cheetah" comes from a Hindi word meaning "spotted one" or from the Sanskrit word "chitraka". An adult has yellow or tan fur with solid black round or oval spots measuring .75 to 1.5 inches (1.9 to 3.8 centimeters) in diameter. The spots cover nearly the entire body; only the white throat and abdomen are unmarked. The tail ends with 4-6 black rings and a bushy, white tuft. The spot pattern plus the ring pattern on the tail enable the identification of specific cheetahs (by humans). The head is small with eyes set high and a black "tear mark" running from the inner aspect of each eye down to the mouth. The teeth are small to accommodate large nasal passages. An adult cheetah weighs 80-140 pounds (36-64 kilograms), is about 32 inches (81 centimeters) tall at the shoulder and 48-56 inches (121-142 centimeters) long with another 28-32 inches (70-81 centimeters) in tail - males are a little larger than females. Cheetahs are sometimes mistaken for leopards - much heavier animals with rosette shaped spots and no tear marks.