The Big Cat Series

     Generally speaking, I do not like cats. They are devious creatures with a knack for deception and suspicion. They are concerned only with their own wellbeing, the problems of others being of no consequence to them whatsoever. Could one ascribe human morals and character traits to them, they would no doubt be labled as dishonest, sexually deviant, self-centered, thieving scoundrels. Yet while this makes them, in the opinion of this individual, among the worst and least enjoyable pets one could possibly have,  these are precisely the traits that have allowed them to become the most widespread and dominant predatory mammals on planet Earth. Though my general lack of love for house cats remains unwavering, I must admit, rather ironically or perhaps hypocritically, that I am well and truly fascinated by big cats: that exclusive group that formally includes the tiger, lion, jaguar, and leopard and informally includes the cheetah, snow leopard, clouded leopard, and puma.

 

    
The annals of history and the individuals that wrote them share my fascination and awe of these large felines. This much is evident in the fact that perhaps no other animal group holds such a revered place in the hearts and minds of cultures world over: the Mayans of South American worshiped the jaguar as a god; the Chinese zodiac honors the “year of the tiger”; and as long as man has carried the sharp stick, hunting the lion has been the truest test of his mettle. The reason for this, I suspect, is that as far as wild animals are concerned, big cats are and have always been human kind’s biggest reminder of its own mortality. Big cats are designed to perfection to kill medium sized, warm blooded prey. Take a wild guess who that includes. Welcome to the club, brother!

 

     There is of course much more to these amazing animals than their perfect capacity to kill and eat human beings, although it certainly does happen on a far more regular basis than conservationists, myself included, wish to admit. They are great hunters, yes, but they are also great survivors and serve as perhaps the greatest of all predatory ambassadors to the natural world. Their social lives, hunting skills, survival techniques, taxonomy, anatomy, and role in their respective ecosystems make them among the most astounding of all animals. What follows are scientific essays (if one wishes to dignify my writing with the term) on each of these cats. Let’s start with the big four, of course, and then follow up with each of the smaller bodied cats mentioned above.