The Cat Family: Family Felidae

All 37 species of felids are the most carnivorous of all the carnivores. Plant foods play a very minor role in their diet. They are all efficient predators, for with their short jaws and sharp canine teeth, they are able to deliver a quick, lethal bite. Cats are widely distributed and are found in every type of habitat from dense forests to deserts. The cats have powerful jaws that cannot be rotated. The incisors are in a straight line across the jaws, the canines are long, and the cheek teeth are reduced in number, the carnassials being well developed for shearing. The skeleton is specialized for leaping. The claws are retractile in most species, except the cheetah. The gait is digitigrade. They are distributed throughout the world except for some oceanic islands, Australasia and Madagascar.

• Cheetah

• Mountain Lion

• Bobcat

• Canada Lynx

• Tiger

• White Tiger

• Jaguar