Cats are graceful, efficient predators that belong to the Family Felidae (a family known commonly as 'felids'). The cat family is diverse and includes the familiar domestic cat, lions, tigers, ocelots, jaguars, caracals, leopards, pumas, lynxes, and many other groups of cat. Cats have muscular bodies and are efficient hunters armed with acute eyesight, great aqility, and a sharp set of teeth.
Cats are superb hunters. Some felids can take down prey that are much larger than themselves, providing evidence of their well-honed skills as predators. Cats hunt using several methods. Some species lie in wait until an unfortunate animal crosses the cat's path and then pounce upon it for the kill. Other cats actively stalk their prey, take up position for attack, and charge in for the capture. Most cats are well camouflaged, with stripes or spots that let them blend into the surrounding vegetation and shadows. (Fahey and Meyers 2000).
The majority of cat species are solitary animals outside of the breeding season. Lions are an exception to this rule though, they form long-term social groups called prides. Prides are usually made up of 4-6 related adult lions and their cubs.
Most cats have retractable claws. They extend their claws only when needed for capturing prey or for traction when running or climbing. When claws are not needed, the cats keep them hidden away, sharp and ready for use. Cheetahs are unable to retract their claws, and experts believe this is an adaptation to fast running (Grzimek 1988, 583).
Vision is cats' best developed sense. Felids have sharp eyesight and their eyes are positioned on the front of their head so they both facing forward to produce the optimal focusing ability and acute depth perception.
Cats have extremely flexible spines, enabling them to use more muscles when running and achieve faster speeds than other mammals. Since they use more muscles when running, cats burn more energy and therefore cannot maintain speed for extended periods of time without experiencing fatigue.
Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Suborder: Feliformia
- Family: Felidae
New to animal classification? Find out more about how scientists classify animals.
Where to See: Cats inhabit a wide variety of habitats including coasts, deserts, forests, grasslands, and mountains. They have colonized almost every corner of the globe with the exceptions of Australia, Greenland, Iceland, New Zealand, Antarctica, Madagascar, and remote oceanic islands. Note that domestic cats have been introduced into many regions once void of cats (Fahey and Meyers 2000).
References:
- Fahey, B. and P. Myers. 2000 (Accessed online). Felidae. Animal Diversity Web.
- Grzimek, B. 1990. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals, Volulme 3. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Toriello, K. 2002 (Accessed online). Uncia uncia. Animal Diversity Web.
- Turner, A. and M. Anton. 1997. The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives. New York: Columbia University Press.
