All 40 Species of Wild Cat (Organised by Lineage)

The Felidae family contains 40 species of wild cat separated into eight distinct lineages and provides one of the most fascinating stories of evolution in the animal kingdom. The oldest split between all remaining extant species of cat occurred more than 10 million years ago when Pantherinae containing the big five split from Felinae containing the rest of the Felids. The Felinae subfamily then continued to diverge until around 1 to 3 million years ago producing among others the Caracal, Ocelot, Lynx, Puma and domestic cat lineages. In this guide we'll explore each split in the Felidae family and the lineages and species these evolutionary divergences produced. Let's dive in. Panthera is the oldest and most distant lineage from our beloved domesticated cats. It contains the largest and frankly the most terrifying felines. This lineage contains two genera, the eponymous Panthera genus and Neophilus. Panthera is by far the most famous of all feline genera containing the big five cats which includes tigers, lions, jaguars, leopards and snow leopards. Neophilus contains two species of clouded leopard who are significantly smaller than their Pantherinian cousins. The tiger is the largest cat on the planet measuring up to 13 feet in length including its tail and weighing up to 660 pounds. This species is split into six subspecies including the Bengal, Malayan and Siberian tiger with an additional three subspecies driven to extinction including the Javan and Caspian tiger. They have a large territorial range inhabiting many different types of forest and grassland and like most wild cats live a solitary existence. Tigers are found mostly in South and Southeast Asia with a small population of Siberian tigers found in the mountain ranges of Far Eastern Russia and Northern China. Both black and white tigers have been known to occur from pseudomelanism and albinism respectively. Unfortunately tigers are currently endangered due to poaching and habitat loss but a healthy population does reside in India where they are protected. The famously elusive snow leopard is the smallest species of the Panthera genus. They are found on the highest plateau in the world the Tibetan plateau and regions further north in Mongolia and Siberia. It makes sense to assume that snow leopards diverge from regular leopards to create a super snow specializing species but recent studies have shown that they diverge from tigers and that lions are more closely related to leopards. Snow leopards vary the altitude at which they live depending on the season retreating to higher elevations in the summer where the temperature remains cool. Their thick rusty white black spotted fur helps keep them warm in their snowy habitat and provides much needed camouflage while hunting. Active mostly during the morning and evening they prey upon mountain sheep, deer, goats and smaller mammals such as marmots. There are currently no subspecies of snow leopard presumably because of its limited range. Lions are the second largest wild cat weighing up to 550 pounds. They once roamed the forests of southern Europe and the middle east but are now restricted to the grasslands of sub-saharan Africa and a very small population in India. Unlike most other cats who enjoy their own company, lions are pack animals and congregate in prides which is advantageous for taking down larger prey. Lions have a unique appearance being the only cat to sport a mane which has been shown to be a factor for females when choosing a mate with darker and thicker manes being the most popular hairstyle. The white lion is a rare colour variation caused by a genetic condition called leucism which results in a loss of pigmentation. When not hunting wildebeest, zebra and buffalo amongst other animals they can be found relaxing with their pride which they do for up to 20 hours per day. Leopards occupy a similar territory to lions in Africa but are also found throughout much of Asia as well. Male leopards can weigh up to 200 pounds and although they are significantly smaller than both lions and tigers, they are famously agile and can hunt while leaping from tree to tree. The pattern of their fur is made up of black rosettes which generally have no inner decoration. One of the most famous colour variations is the black panther which is not a species. Excessive production of melanin causes the black pigmentation of fur and although there are black panthers in Africa, the most common occurrence of this variant is found in South and Southeast Asia. There are 27 subspecies of leopard making it one of the most geographically and visually varied felines. The Amur leopard for example lives in Far Eastern Asia. It has a darker coat and longer hair giving it a similar appearance to a snow leopard. Jaguars are commonly mistaken for leopards due to their visually similar fur pattern, however there are several distinct differences between the two species. Unlike leopards who live in Africa or in Asia, jaguars are found throughout Central and South America. These aquatically inclined felines can be up to twice the size with males weighing up to 350 pounds. Their fur pattern also differs slightly with spots inside each black rosette. Like leopards they can also be subject to melanism producing entirely black jaguars, also referred to as black panthers, leading to the further confusion between the species. They have adapted to living in the wet rainforests and wetlands of South America including and especially the Amazon rainforest. Jaguars are excellent swimmers consuming more reptiles than any other cat. They use their powerful bite and large canines to prey upon turtles and caiman. Like snow leopards they are a monotypic species meaning that there are no currently defined subspecies. The clouded leopard is the first of two species contained in the neophelis genus. They are found throughout much of East and Southeast Asia and are significantly smaller than the big five cats with males weighing up to 50 pounds. They are found in the woodlands and forests of South and Southeast Asia and are active mostly during the night due to overlapping ranges with tigers and leopards. Clouded leopards are solitary animals who are arboreal living mostly in trees. They feed mainly on smaller mammals such as monkeys and squirrels as well as birds and have also been known to take down larger mammals such as deer. Their conservation status is currently listed as vulnerable with less than 10,000 individuals remaining in the wild. The Sunda clouded leopard diverged from the clouded leopard around 1-2 million years ago and is found exclusively on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. They are visually very similar to the clouded leopard but are slightly larger and exhibit a darker fur. The puma lineage is one of the most interesting for its variation of physical characteristics. It contains three species, the cougar, cheetah and jaguar undi which are three very different cats. The cougar is one of the most famous of the cat species. It is well known in North American pop culture for being the largest cat species in the USA and Canada and second only to the jaguar in the Americas. Cougars have a gigantic range from Canada all the way down to southern Argentina and Brazil. They are found in many different biomes including various types of forest and desert as well as high altitude mountainous terrain. Physically the cougar is a stocky and powerful animal capable of taking down large mammals such as caribou and elk. They will also feed on smaller mammals such as rabbits as well as birds. Cougars take an awkward position in the food chain. Possessing the power to kill coyotes and wolves, their cubs are often preyed upon by these animals for self-preservation. They are nocturnal and solitary by nature although it is not uncommon to see them in small groups. The jaguar undi occupies a similar range to that of the cougar up to the Mexican-US border where it extends no further. They inhabit different types of forest, shrubland and desert and are diurnal, hunting during the day and at night. Their appearance is somewhat similar to a large weasel and their fur can be a deep reddish brown or a dark grey. Weighing a maximum 15 pounds, jaguar undis are much smaller than cougars with short legs and a long body and tail. Although they have been known to climb, they hunt mainly on the ground and are also known to be good swimmers. Thankfully this lovable feline's conservation status is listed as least concern. The cheetah is the fastest animal in the world with recorded speeds of up to 114 kilometers per hour. They are split into four subspecies, three of which are found in Africa with the remaining Asian population being located in Iran. Although these cats have long limbs to help propel them in their predatory chase, their maximum average weight is around 120 pounds, making them around half the weight of a leopard. A cheetah's diet is primarily made up of medium size ungulates such as gazelles and impalas who have also evolved to run at high speeds. Because of their size, prey is often poached from cheetahs by larger animals of the savannah such as lions and hyenas. Although they can be solitary, they are mostly found in groups known as coalitions and are active during the day and the night to avoid conflicts with larger cats such as lions and leopards. The lynx lineage is one of my favourites. These beautiful creatures have short tails and shaggy fur and are well adapted to their typically snowy mountainous environment. It is made up of a single genus, the lynx genus, which is made up of four species. Although they are visually very similar, their territories are distinct with the exception of a small overlap between that of the canada lynx and the bobcat. It is not uncommon to see groups of lynx hunting together, although these animals are mostly thought of as reclusive. Similar to the caracal, all species of lynx have tufts of hair on the ends of their ears. The Eurasian lynx is the largest of the four species and by some considerable margin. Males can weigh up to around 80 pounds compared to the other species in this lineage, which weigh around 35 pounds. They come in two colour variations exhibiting either a reddish brown or grey coat. The distribution of the Eurasian lynx is vast, roaming mountainous regions as far west as Norway and Germany, as far east as Siberia and as far south as the Tibetan plateau. They are active during early morning or late evening and live mainly in temperate and boreal forests where they feast on small mammals such as hares, rabbits, young deer, foxes and boars. They are generally not preyed upon by other animals, although they have been known to run into wolves, wolverines and, god forbid, the odd Siberian tiger. The Iberian lynx is one of the most threatened members of the cat family. This species is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula which contains the countries of Spain and Portugal and up to 2002 was on the verge of extinction. However, thanks to valiant conservation efforts, their population rose from 94 in 2002 to 326 in 2012 and their future is now looking much brighter with a population of over a thousand in 2021. They are found only in small isolated regions of southern Spain where they feed almost entirely on the European rabbit. The Canada lynx occupies the boreal forests of Canada, Alaska and some of the northern states the contiguous US. In terms of its evolutionary path, it is one divergence removed from the Eurasian and Iberian lynx which makes sense based on their difference in domain. They are typically very similar in colour to their European counterparts but have also been known to exhibit a bluish-grey hue. Canada lynx feed almost exclusively on snowshoe hares and have developed long hind legs and huge paws which help them hunt in the snow. Consequently, areas with large populations of snowshoe hares see larger populations of the Canada lynx and their activity level also matches that of their prey, being active mostly at night. Bobcats occupy the southernmost range of all lynx species with their habitat stretching as far south as Mexico. They are the smallest species of the lynx genus with males weighing no more than around Their coat also varies from a reddish-brown to a grey with darker spots and streaks distributed throughout the coat for camouflage. They are found mostly in woodlands, forests and mountainous terrain and, much like the rest of its genus, the bobcat survives largely on rabbits and hares but is also known to hunt larger prey such as small deer. Bobcats venture as far south as Mexico and as far north as Canada, often overlapping territory with the Canada lynx. The cats of the caracal lineage are found mainly in Africa, but roam as far east as southern Asia as well. This lineage contains two genera. The caracal genus is split between the caracal and the African golden cat, whereas Leptalarus contains a single species, the serval. The caracal is the only species from this lineage to be found in Asia, with a range extending as far east as India and as far north as Turkmenistan. Although much smaller, the caracal is similar in appearance to a cougar, with a reddish-brown coat and no markings. Like the lynx family, they also exhibit tufts of hair on the tops of their ears, which they have been observed using to communicate by bobbing their heads from side to side. Caracals are famously agile and have been known to perform impressive gymnastic-like stunts while catching birds in mid-flight. They are found in forests, grasslands and desert ecosystems, and are also known as the desert lynx or the Persian lynx, being found throughout much of the Middle East. The African golden cat is exceptionally rare, and occupies a small range in the rainforests of Central and West Africa. They are mostly golden in colour, although some have been observed with a grey coat, and spotted markings are present on some of these cats on the underside of their belly and the backs of their legs. Servals have the longest legs of all cats relative to body size and weigh no more than 40 pounds. They have a unique appearance not too dissimilar from that of a cheetah. They exhibit a light yellowish fur with clearly defined black spots and stripes, in addition to a short tail and large ears. Although a small population exists in Morocco, these cats live mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa. They are found in wetlands and forests as well as roaming the savannah. Servals prey mostly on rodents, birds and reptiles, in addition to eating grass to aid with digestion. They hunt in the early morning and late afternoon, and occasionally at night. Collectively, the bay cat lineage has a very similar range to that of the clouded leopard, occupying the forests of East and Southeast Asia, and contains three distinct species. The Asian golden cat is a particularly beautiful medium-sized feline found throughout South, East and Southeast Asia. They have a marbled face and have been observed with a variety of fur colours, with some exhibiting a light reddish hue and others with a darker brown coat. Asian golden cats are adept at climbing trees in the forests which they call home. They mostly hunt small mammals and birds and have been shown to be a mixture of diurnal and crespular, active during twilight. The marbled cat is the smallest member of the bay cat lineage and has a very similar appearance to a clouded leopard, camouflaged with a distinct black and tan pattern. They are thought to be semi-arboreal, hunting many types of birds, squirrels, rats, mice and bats, and are roughly the same size as a domesticated cat. Bay cats are endemic to the of Borneo, where they are listed as endangered with only around two and a half thousand left in the wild. The ocelot lineage contains only one genus, Leopardus, and is one of the most diverse lineages containing eight species of cat, all living in Central and South America. With the exception of the ocelot, all of these cats are thought of as small cats, weighing no more than around 10 pounds. The ocelot is one of the most striking felines, with clear and distinct black spots and streaks atop a yellowish-brown and white body. Weighing up to around 35 pounds, its size, the shape of its head and its poise are similar to that of a jaguar. Interestingly, the word ocelot derives from a word in the Uto-Aztec language family that translates to jaguar, presumably named so due to its similarity in appearance. The ocelot has a large range from the mountain ranges of eastern Mexico all the way down to the rainforests of Brazil. They are found in various types of forest, savannah and mangrove swamps, where they prey upon small mammals, rodents, fish and small birds, all whilst dodging larger cats, anacondas and harpy eagles. Margays are much smaller than ocelots at around nine pounds, but are very similar in appearance and are often confused for this species. Occupying much of Central and South America, these adorable felines also have a very similar range to the ocelot, with the exception of far western Peru. They live in various types of forest including tropical evergreen, dry and cloud forest. Margays are famously agile and are often referred to as tree ocelots, leaping from tree to tree where they chase monkeys, birds and small reptiles. Their conservation status is currently set to near threatened. The Oncilla is another species often confused for the margay or the ocelot, thanks to its similarity in markings. Weighing up to 6.5 pounds, this species also spends a lot of time in the trees, hunting for small rodents, birds and other small mammals. Its range is mostly restricted to northern South America, however a small population also exists in Costa Rica and Panama. In 2013, it was discovered that there were in fact two populations of Oncilla who didn't interbreed, creating two separate species named the northern and southern tiger cat. Visually, it is difficult to distinguish between the two species. The southern tiger cat is said to have very similar markings to that of the northern tiger cat, but are slightly darker. The Jeffrey's cat is found only in the southern region of South America and is named in honour of the French zoologist Etienne-Joffroy St-Hilaire, who died the same year the species was discovered. It has been known to live at altitudes of up to 3,800 meters in the Andes and is particularly prevalent in Bolivia where it is outnumbered only by the ocelot. They are around the same size as a domesticated cat and, interestingly, there is also a melanistic version although they are rare. The Cod Cod is the closest relative to the Jeffrey's cat and is the smallest feline in the Americas, weighing up to around six and a half pounds. It lives in a range of forest biomes including rainforest and deciduous temperate forest. The Andean mountain cat is an alpine-loving feline found in the Andes mountain range in South America. They have a much thicker coat than the margay, ocelot or onsilla, allowing them to live exclusively at higher elevation along with the pampas cat and the puma. They prey almost entirely on mountain vizcacha, which are rodents with a similar appearance to rabbits. Unfortunately, the Andean mountain cat is classified as endangered and is the most threatened of all of the felines in the Americas. The pampas cat is another small cat from South America that exhibits thick fur used to stave off the cold in the mountainous regions of western South America. They are also found in grasslands, forests and shrubland where they hunt mountain vizcachas, rodents, guinea pigs and small birds. The leopard cat lineage is a group of small to medium-sized cats found throughout Asia. The two genera that make up this lineage diverged around 6.2 million years ago, making them the second youngest felid lineage. The otocolobus genera holds only one species, the palace's cat, also known as the manule. The prionolaurus genera holds the remaining five species. The leopard cat is found throughout most of South, Southeast and East Asia. There are many different subspecies of leopard cat and their appearance varies from region to region. Several species exhibit a longer, bushier coat such as the Tashima leopard cat who live in Japan and the Amur leopard cat. The Indonesian leopard cat has a much shorter pelage with darker, more defined coloration. They are both excellent swimmers and climbers and being semi-arboreal like to ambush small mammals, rodents and other animals from the cover of their forested habitat. Like the Onsila and Southern tiger cat, a separate species was recently discovered previously thought to be a subspecies of leopard cat. The Sunda leopard cat is found on the island nations of Indonesia and the Philippines. They thrive in tropical forests where they have been observed hunting mice and rats, other rodents, lizards and beetles, mostly during the night. A close relative to the leopard cat, the fishing cat is found in the wetlands, swamps, mangroves and lake ecosystems of South and Southeast Asia. Its known populations are dotted around the coast of the Bay of Bengal with small populations found inland towards the Himalayas and West India. As their name and habitat would suggest, this medium-sized feline is extremely adept at swimming and lives primarily on a diet of fish but also hunts birds, rodents, insects and reptiles. They have webbed paws to aid with swimming, although less so than the leopard cat. Like the fishing cat, the flat-headed cat inhabits wetland areas and eats large amounts of fish. Around the same size as a domestic cat, flat-headed cats are smaller than most of the other cats in this lineage and are particularly rare. They have similar vocalizations to that of domesticated cats and are known to purr. They hunt mainly at night and will drag their aquatic prey away from the water to prevent it from escaping. The rusty spotted cat is one of the smallest cats in the world. They weigh up to 3.5 pounds which is around half the size of a domestic cat. They are found mainly in the temperate and tropical forests of India and Sri Lanka but have also been found to exist in Nepal. Rusty spotted cats have been known to climb trees but they are certainly not arboreal and spend most of their time hunting small mammals and birds on the ground. The palace's cat or manule may just be my favourite species of cat. Through the powers of natural selection they have evolved to exhibit the most intensely grumpy stare of any wild cat. The palace's cat is named after Peter Simon Palace, a Prussian zoologist who first encountered the Similar in appearance to the pampas cat, they exhibit thick fur and a bushy tail which equip it well for the high mountainous regions of Asia in which they abide. They live solely in mountainous steeps and rocky areas of Central Asia, East Asia and the Middle East where they hunt pikas and other small mammals. The domestic cat lineage contains six species, all of which are small to medium-sized cats found in Eurasia. Visually they are the most similar to domestic cats with only the black-footed cat having significant markings on its fur. The jungle cat is the largest felid in the domestic cat lineage, weighing up to around 35 pounds. Although it is named as such, the jungle or tropical forest biome actually makes up very little of the jungle cat's territory. They are more often found in grasslands, deciduous forests, mountain terrain and wetlands, hence its nickname the swamp cat. They exhibit a reddish-gray fur with two distinct black stripes on its front legs. It is found throughout much of the Middle East and Asia where it preys on small mammals, birds and fish. The black-footed cat is the smallest feline in the domestic cat lineage and one of the smallest species in the world. They are found exclusively in the grasslands and deserts of southern Africa, in the countries of Nambia, Botswana and South Africa. Black-footed cats have a light brown coat with clear black markings and a strip of black fur under their feet, hence the name. They spend their day relaxing in the burrows of other animals and spend the night hunting for small animals including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The sand cat is a desert specialist. They are found throughout the western half of the Sahara desert and dotted around the Middle East and Central Asia. Like the jungle cat, the sand cat also has two black stripes on its front legs although their fur is much bushier. They are famous for hunting snakes, in particular the highly venomous members of the viper family. Sand cats are excellent diggers and spend most of the day escaping the desert heat in burrows. They hunt during the night and use their digging skills to prey upon animals such as the sandfish, a species of skink known to burrow or swim in the sand. The Chinese mountain cat is found in the alpine meadows and high altitude grasslands of northern China. They are one of the rarest cats in the world and many of their characteristics and behavior traits are still unknown. They spend the day relaxing in burrows and hunt mainly during the night, preying upon birds and small mammals such as the pika. The African wildcat is the closest relative to the Chinese desert cat, both of which are two divergences removed from the domestic cat. They have a huge range covering the Middle East, Central and Southern Asia and most of Africa. They occupy a variety of biomes from the tropical grasslands of Africa to the steeps and mountain ranges of Central and Southern Asia. They prey mostly on small mammals such as mice and rats, birds, small reptiles and even insects. Although they are preyed upon by foxes, wolves, larger cats and birds of prey, their conservation status is currently listed as least concern. The European wildcat is similar in appearance to the African wildcat but has noticeably thicker fur to cope with the colder European climate. They are the closest relative to the domestic cat and, in addition to Scotland, are found throughout much of the Central and Southern regions of mainland Europe, as far east as Turkey and as far west as Portugal. They are mostly nocturnal but will hunt in the daytime and live in deciduous forests where they prey upon small mammals such as rats, voles and mice and many other animals including birds and reptiles. There are two known subspecies which separate those found in Turkey and the Caucasus region from those found throughout the rest of Europe. Thank you so much for watching. This video is part of a series of videos called Relatives, exploring some of the most fascinating families in the animal kingdom. Join me next time as we explore every species of canine including wolves, wild dogs and foxes. If you enjoyed the video, please give it a like and consider subscribing to the channel to stay up to date with this series.