Felidae

Cats are part of a big family.

They have strong, flexible bodies. Most cats eat only meat.

They use sharp claws to hunt. Their claws stay tucked inside their paws. This helps them stay quiet.

They have long whiskers to help them move in the dark. Some cats can roar. Others can purr. Many cats have spots or stripes on their fur. They live in many lands around the world.

Cats belong to a family called Felidae.

This family includes many different species. They have strong, muscular bodies. Most cats are solitary hunters. This means they often live and hunt alone.

Cats have special claws. They can pull them in or push them out. This helps them hunt. They also have sharp teeth for eating meat. All cats are obligate carnivores. This means they must eat meat to live.

Cats have amazing eyes. They have a tapetum lucidum. This is a layer that reflects light inside the eye. It helps them see well in the dark. Their eyes are six times more sensitive than ours. They also have long whiskers. These whiskers help them feel their way in the dark. Some cats can roar. Only lions, leopards, tigers, and jaguars can do this. Other cats, like house cats, can purr.

The tiger is the largest cat. It can weigh up to 300 kilograms. The rusty-spotted cat is one of the smallest. It is only about 16 centimeters long.

The Felidae family includes all the different kinds of cats.

These animals are mammals that belong to the order Carnivora. There are 41 different species living in the world today. They show more variety in fur patterns than any other land carnivore. Most cats are solitary predators that hunt alone. They use stalking or ambushing to catch their prey. Wild cats live in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Cats have bodies built for hunting and moving easily. They have slender, muscular bodies and very strong limbs. Most cats have protractile claws, which means they can pull them in.

These claws are attached to toe bones with tendons. They use muscles to push the claws out for hunting. All cats are obligate carnivores, so they must eat meat. Their teeth help them tear through food very quickly. They have 30 teeth, including large canine teeth for biting.

Their tongues even have tiny, horn-like bumps to help them groom.

Scientists have studied how these cats are related for a long time. Reginald Innes Pocock once divided them into three groups. He looked at how their bones and skin were shaped.

Today, experts use molecular biology to study their DNA instead. Now, we divide them into two main subfamilies. The Pantherinae group includes five Panthera and two Neofelis species. The Felinae group includes the other 34 different species. This newer way of grouping helps us understand their history better.

Cats have a very long history on our planet. The first cats appeared during the Oligocene period.

Early cats like Proailurus and Pseudaelurus lived a long time ago. One group of ancestors led to the famous saber-toothed cats. These extinct cats had huge teeth for hunting large animals. The tiger is the largest living cat species. It can weigh at least 200 kilograms and grow very long. The tiny rusty-spotted cat is only 16 centimeters long.

Many things about cats are similar to what we see at home. Like house cats, wild cats use whiskers to feel their way. Whiskers help them navigate in the dark and catch prey. Their eyes have a special layer called a tapetum lucidum. This layer reflects light to help them see in dim light. It makes their eyes shine and helps them see at night.

Many cats also make sounds like hissing or growling. Some big cats, like lions, can even roar. You might recognize these patterns on the cats in your neighborhood.

The Felidae family includes all species of cats.

These mammals belong to the order Carnivora. They are known as obligate carnivores. This means they must eat meat to survive. Felids show more diversity in fur patterns than any other land carnivore. There are 41 species living today. They live in many places like Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Most species are solitary predators. They often use stalking or ambushing to catch prey.

Cats possess specialized physical traits for hunting. They are digitigrade, meaning they walk on their toes. They have five toes on their front feet and four on their back feet. Their claws are protractile, which means they can be pulled in.

Muscles in the toes actively push the claws out. Most cats have cutaneous sheaths to protect these claws.

Their bodies are lithe and muscular for movement. Their skulls are short with large eye sockets. They have 30 teeth. Their upper premolars and lower molars act as carnassial teeth. These teeth are shaped to cut and tear flesh.

Sensory organs help felids navigate their environments. Their eyes are large and provide binocular vision. They have a tapetum lucidum inside the eyeball. This layer reflects light back through the retina. It makes their eyes shine and improves night vision.

Their eyes are six times more light-sensitive than human eyes. They also have many rod cells for seeing movement in dim light. Whiskers on the cheeks and muzzle help them navigate. Their ears are sensitive to high-frequency sounds. This helps smaller species find small rodents.

Felids communicate through various vocalizations. The pitch of these sounds often depends on the animal's size. Larger species produce deeper sounds. Most cats use sounds like hissing, snarling, or growling to show aggression.

Mewing and chuffing are used for contact. Some cats can purr during both breathing phases. Only certain cats can roar. This ability comes from a specially adapted larynx and hyoid apparatus. Lions, leopards, tigers, and jaguars are the only true roarers.

Scientists classify these animals into subfamilies. Reginald Innes Pocock once used physical traits for this. He looked at the hyoid apparatus and claw sheaths.

Modern biology uses molecular data instead. Now, felids are divided into two subfamilies: Pantherinae and Felinae. Pantherinae includes five Panthera species and two Neofelis species. Felinae includes the other 34 species across 12 genera. The Acinonychinae group is now part of Felinae.

The history of cats began in the Oligocene epoch.

Early cats like Proailurus and Pseudaelurus appeared then. Pseudaelurus was the ancestor to two main lines. One line led to modern subfamilies. The other led to the extinct Machairodontinae, or saber-toothed cats. These extinct cats had massive canine teeth. They hunted large herbivores. The last saber-toothed species died out around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. This happened during the end-Pleistocene extinction event.

Felids vary greatly in size and appearance. The tiger is the largest living species. It can weigh at least 200 kilograms. In contrast, the rusty-spotted cat is very small. It is only 16 centimeters long. Fur patterns also change. Most species are born with spots. Some species, like the lion, lose their spots as they grow. Many cats also have type IIx muscle fibers. These are three times more powerful than human muscle fibers.