1
The largest lynx species can scare any house cat. It has spotted fur, pointy ears, and snow-walking footpads.
2
All five cheetah subspecies are swift hunters. They easily beat Usain Bolt's sprinting record. They can reach 64 mph in three seconds, compared to Bolt's 27.
3
Snow leopards have white-grey fur. Its thickness makes them look bigger. Their larger tails help them balance on rough, snowy terrain.
4
Leopards are larger and more athletic. Leopards can leap 18 feet, three times their length. If we encounter a leopard in the wild, remind us to stay away because they can jump a football field in seconds.
5
A cougar is the same as a puma or mountain lion. Cougars are larger house cats. Cougars purr like 150-pound cats. Cougars roam deserts and mountains. They live wherever there's shelter and prey.
6
Jaguar, an indigenous term, means "one who kills with one leap." Not intimidating. Jaguars lived from the southwest U.S. to South America.
7
Except for western India's Asiatic lions, most lions are African. Male lions are biggest. All lion cubs have rosettes and markings, but they fade into a sandy tone as they age.
8
Bengal tigers are large cats. 300-pound women can be tiny. Bengals are slightly smaller than Siberian tigers. They're East Asian and brilliant yellow to orange.
9
The largest tiger specimen was a Siberian tiger. Bengal tigers are also massive. Siberian tigers are lighter, thicker-coated, and endemic to Russia. The only species of tiger that can survive in high altitudes and icy conditions is endangered due to habitat loss.
10
Ligers aren't wild. Lion-tiger hybrids. Their native territories don't overlap, making a natural cross rare. Ligers and tigons are lion-tiger hybrids. Ligers are substantially larger than tigons.