There are not many species of large cats. There are only eight species: lion, cheetah, tiger, irbis (snow leopard), jaguar, puma, panther (or leopard) and clouded leopard. There are a huge number of hybrids of these cats with each other.

Small cats have a huge number of both species and subspecies. Here are some types of wild small cats: lynx, serval, manul, fishing cat, jaguarundi (or otter cat), European cat, wild forest cat, etc. Domestic cats also have varieties of breeds.

Each section is very interesting to me in its own way. With such ease, big cats simply fly above the ground with such dimensions, in the good sense of the word. Cats with a less expressive size are how they get along in the wild. Well, the domestic ones have their habits, which they inherited from their larger relatives.

Lion is king

Leo is the true king of nature. He is strong, powerful and fearless. And his roar drowns out the loudest noise. No one dares to doubt that the lion is the most dangerous and purebred animal in the world, with the exception of a few dozen (small dozen) hunters, scientists studying the fauna of our planet, and, of course, fearless conservationists.

The lion simply amazes with its size, and, of course, its weight! Just imagine an ordinary passenger car of the most standard size (on average 500 kg), so the average lion is half (50%) of the weight of this car. Almost everyone who has even the slightest bit of imagination, and even more so if you have once pushed a passenger car, can easily imagine the simply mind-boggling weight of this huge cat. And we can’t even talk about strength! The blow of his tail can be compared to the blow of a powerful whip. The body length of a lion without a tail can be from 170 cm to 250 cm or more. Close your eyes, imagine how this animal stands on its hind legs and becomes taller than you. How small people will seem to him then! And with what terrible speed lions rush after their prey! Can you imagine this?

Let's remember why a lion is considered a king? This is a rather ambiguous question, but when answering it, many will jokingly answer: “Well, what is a king without a crown? And the lion has it!” Indeed, the main advantage of being the king of nature is the lion’s mane. But since the king is a LION, and not a lioness, the “crown” went to him. And so, let’s imagine a beautiful “crown” of a lion, what is it like? Most often, the mane, in my opinion, is darker than the fur on the lion’s body. But a light mane is also possible. There is a belief that a lion with a light mane, like the sky in the sea during a calm, has a calm and flexible, more even character than a lion with a dark mane. But with their calm disposition, they were still deprived of their intelligence! But this is just an opinion, it’s not for us to judge the King of Nature!

It seems to me that we will learn more about the character of lions if we dig a little deeper. Let's remember, so to speak, the traditions of lion “families” - prides. A pride is a family of lions, so to speak, the groups in which they gather. A pride consists of 1-3 males, several mature females and lion cubs of both sexes. This is where lions differ from other cats. Lionesses most often hunt and look after children; the heads of the “family” protect the territory of their pride from individuals of someone else’s pride. In battles for lionesses, either the challenger or the defender most often dies. After the hunt, the lionesses obediently bring the killed prey to the lion, and he can eat everything, leaving nothing for either the lioness or the cubs. Often the lions of one pride can kill the lions of another, or in a skirmish with hyenas they will gladly eliminate the “interference.”

When a new generation of lions is born, the lioness, like a real mother, wants to retire from everyone else in some secluded place that is overgrown with grass. Through suffering, lion cubs are born, but more often than not, most of them die. Like human children, newborns drink only mother's milk, and after 6 months they begin to eat only meat.

The lion, as a king, is often used in art as a symbol of fearlessness or courage, as well as true evil. In early Christian art, the lion represented several saints in turn. And in the Bible, the lion was a comparative image of the devil-tempter: “Your adversary the Devil walks like a roaring lion...”

There are quite a few lions left in our cruel world, because poaching is rampant everywhere. There are about 150 thousand lions in the world in Africa and 220 lions in a reserve in India. Imagine, the territory of Russia alone is inhabited by approximately 142 million people, both young and old, and there are several dozen more people in the world than in our country! What a price we pay to nature for every beautiful skin that lies on the floor of some oligarch! No, you can't do that!!! After all, at any ill-fated moment some flayer, thirsty for money, can kill the last lion. This feline is a wonderful addition to the fauna of our Earth, which cannot be exterminated!

Small cats

For me, the Queen of all wild small cats will always be the lynx! How can you not admire the beauty and flexibility of her body? Lynx can be Eurasian or common. The name comes from the Greek word for "red". But we cannot say that this is due to the color of the lynx’s fur. Their coloring can be similar to that of a domestic cat, but this is in rare cases. For me, the advantage of the Queen of the forest and taiga is her uncomplicated tassels on the tips of her ears! If you see a lynx, take a closer look, look into the eyes of this royal breed! What deep thoughtfulness is hidden somewhere deep inside.

I chose the largest lynx of the entire genus - the Eurasian (or common) lynx. Her body length, like that of a good athlete, is short, but dense with muscles. The Queen of the Taiga's trail is usually that of a cat; she leaves no traces of claws behind her. If 2-3 lynxes walk side by side, then the ones in the back ones will step exactly in the footsteps of the ones in front, as if camouflaging themselves and saying: “There was only one lynx here.”

The common lynx is the most northern cat, especially when compared with the lion that lives in Africa. But the lynx prefers the dark coniferous forest of Taiga or somewhere in the mountains to the hot steppe. Sometimes, but very rarely, lynxes visit the Tundra forest. The lynx not only jumps and climbs trees and rocks remarkably well, but also swims quite well.

If the area where the lynx is located is full of food, it will live there for a long time, and if there is an abundance of food, it will begin to wander.

The lynx's favorite time to hunt is twilight. She loves to wait in ambush for her prey, and then suddenly jump with huge leaps of 4 meters. It can chase prey for almost 100 meters, but, unable to stand it, it runs out of steam and waits for new game.

The Queen of the Taiga, for all her caution, is not at all afraid of people. Often lives close to them. In bad times, even on rare occasions, it enters villages and cities.

Lynx, like many predators, plays an important role in the biorhythm of forests and other nature. Only where pheasants and sika deer are bred, she is not expected.

In the character of the lynx, loneliness most often prevails than grouping. In other words, like most cats. And for this, the northern parts of our planet are suitable for her, and not because she loves the cold. The Eurasian lynx is common in Scandinavia, and is found even in the Arctic Circle. Until the 20th century, it was common in Europe. But by the middle of the above century, it was exterminated by hunters in Central and Western Europe. Now People are making attempts to reproduce and increase lynx individuals.

Riddles of your cat

On average, 80-86% of people on the planet have a cat at home. Some people are prevented from having a cute pet by allergies, while others are simply indifferent to these lovely creatures.

In the first days, the kitten masters its new home and gets used to its owners. This happens differently for everyone. For some, this is a long and painful process for the kitten. And for some, in the very first minutes, a mutual understanding between the owner and the animal appears, and, having separated for a short period of time a kitten or an adult cat and its owner, to whom he or she has become attached, the animal will be very sad and in its own way “ cry."

If you take care of a kitten from childhood, of course, he will have a strong attachment to the person who raised him. But if a cat is not attached to its owner, it will be able to leave the house in which it is located with peace of mind. Almost every 5th cat would have left long ago if not for the conditions in which they live. They are provided with food, which means they don’t have to waste a lot of time and effort getting food. They live in warm houses, just like people. If a person becomes ill, the animal will be provided with medical care.

Why do we love cats? Have you ever thought about this? For example, I love my cat very much. My Alice, when she is resting or half asleep, periodically opens her eyes. Looking at them, you can see that the cat is happy with her life, and only calmness and peace reign in her. But, starting to play, enthusiasm and excitement for the game appears in the eyes of any kitten or young cat. Whatever this happens, the cat will achieve its “goal” - a ball or other toy.

By nature, cats are free animals. Remember R. Kipling’s story “The Cat Walked by itself...” It was there that they conveyed the essence of the character of this unlucky animal, albeit in a childish, playful form.

Let's talk about what a cat looks like. The fur can be long or short, fluffy or smooth, however, I think you understand that the diversity of these animals is not only due to their fur. Each breed has its own unique character. Very often, purebred cats are very picky eaters. And simpler cats will eat almost everything that is offered to them. There are breeds of fold cats, they are very cautious and timid, and do not like strangers. And cats with big ears are very friendly with any of the people around her.

What is the main mystery of our beloved pets? Their glow-in-the-dark eyes, of course! This occurs due to the reflection of light from the cat's eyes. How does this work? It’s very simple, the eyes of every cat, small or large, are covered with an invisible film, light shines from it, like sunbeams jumping from a mirror. Why the eyes are colored is quite simple. Each cat has its own eye color, and their tones and shades shine along with the light. And another mystery is that when the cat is happy, she begins to sing her “Happy Cat” song. Scientists still cannot say for sure what causes cats to purr. Not all types of cats can purr, only small ones. With a growl everything is much simpler, it is like a war cry that everyone must obey. But domestic cats cannot growl. But if a fight breaks out between two cats, they hiss at each other. It sounds like the hiss of a snake, but not a very large one. This hissing often seems to break out into a squeal.

The tail is the main indicator of a cat's mood. If she jerks it sharply from side to side, it means she is not happy. Either someone hit her or pulled her by the same tail. If the tail is lowered and pressed against the back of the cat, it means that she is afraid, or as people say, “she doesn’t want to get into trouble.” Well, if the tail is raised, then everything is fine! When a cat is in a neutral mood, the tail simply calmly follows its owner.

The most terrible period for a cat and its owner is the time of “March cats”. Very often, cats and cats let out a heartbreaking cry, like a small child. If at this time the cat is ready for fertilization, then in about 2.5 - 3 months a new generation of cats will appear!

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