Animal A Day!

The genus Machairodus is a little fuzzy on the species that it actually contains. Because the fossil record is incomplete, different extinct big cat species have been moved both in, and out of the genus. It also doesn't help that some of the species have been reclassified, combined, or moved to subspecies status... but such is the finicky nature of fossils! At any rate, Machairodus refers to a group of very large cats, all of whom lived in North America between about 11 million, and 120,000 years ago. These cats were of the "saber-toothed" variety, possessing long, thin, knife-like canine teeth. Those teeth, combined with their short legs, meant that they probably hunted by ambushing prey, rather than by chasing it down. Machairodus species are often draft with spots or stripes, since that coat pattern would've served them well as camouflage during their ambush hunts. Status : Extinct, lived 11.6 million to 124,000 years ago Location : North America Size : ...

Felis nigripes Today's animal may look like a normal house cat, but it is actually a wild animal that you want no where near your sofa! Black-footed Cats are some of the smallest wild cats in the world and are close relatives to our domesticated pets. As adults, Black-footed Cats rarely weigh in at more than 5lbs. They have spotted bodies, and feet that are black on their toes and pads, hence the name. The species is hard to come by in the wild. They are not only small, they are solitary and nocturnal as well. The Cats hide out in dense grasses during the daytime hours, and are very skittish when other creatures come near. As with all cats, the Black-footeds are carnivores. They eat mostly rodents and small birds, and will consume up to 1/6 of their body weight every single night. Black-footed Cats are considered Vulnerable, due to habitat loss and the use of pesticides that make their way up the food chain. They are one of the lesser studied cat species in the wild, bu...

Meet the Chartreux, an old and rare cat breed from France that has popped up in writings and art for the last 500 years. As with many breeds, its origins are mysterious. We know they were in France by the 16th century, but before that it is unknown. Some say that are descended from cats owned by the Carthusian Monks who settled near Grenoble in the 11th century. Others say the cats originally came from the Middle East, and were brought to France by returning Crusaders. Either way, the cats were recognized as a breed by the 18th century. During World War I, however, the cats were almost completely wiped out, and it took a handful of very dedicated breeders to bring them back and sustain them through WWII. Today, all French pedigreed Chartreux cats are named in a specific way. Their official names must all begin with a letter that corresponds to their year of birth. For example, 2013 is the "I" year, so all registered names must start with that letter. K, Q, W, X, Y, and Z...

Lynx lynx There are four species of Lynx in the world,  and the Eurasian Lynx is the most widely distributed. In fact, it has one of the largest ranges of any cat on the planet! These felines are found from Western Europe, to the steppes of Central Asia, all the way to the far reaches of Siberia-- and their historical range was even larger than that! After Brown Bears and Wolves, Eurasian Lynxes are the largest predators through most of their range. Though only 45lbs, they are able to stalk and take down much larger prey, including Caribou and Elk. They more commonly feed on smaller ungulates like musk Deer, Roe Deer, and Chamois, and they will also eat the occasional rodent, bird, or rabbit. Eurasian Lynxes are solitary, with the exception of a mother raising her cubs. She will have as many as four kittens at a time, and they are born blind and helpless. They'll open their eyes after 10-14 days, and will start eating solid food four to six weeks after that. All in all, the...

The Birman is a breed of cat that should not be confused with the Burmese (which has a similar name) or the Siamese (which has similar coloration). These cats are a breed all their own, and have been recognized as such since 1925. Birman Cats have a history that is shrouded in mystery and legend. No one is 100% sure of their true origins, but one common belief is that they came from Burma (the French name is Bimanie ) and were originally kept by temple priests. They eventually made their way to France, either as gifts or through smuggling, but by World War II they were almost completely wiped out. Only two cats remained, and the breed was rebuilt using their offspring and by outcrossing to Persian and Siamese cats. Birmans have medium-long hair that is pale all over the body, with dark points on the faces and feet (called colorpoint). Interestingly, Birmans are one of the few cat breeds that are colorpoint... except for their feet. Though their legs grow dark in...

Uncia uncia Happy 3 years of animals everybody! Wow, it's weird to think it's been that long already! Today we'll be learning all about the rare and beautiful Snow Leopard, an endangered species of cat that lives in the snowy mountains of Asia. These striking creatures have thick furry coats, stocky bodies, wide paws, and small ears. All of those traits help them to survive in cold, rocky climates. Another great adaptation?  Their tails! They have tails that help them to balance while moving about, and they can nearly double the overall body length. Snow Leopards are solitary, and the only times they are seen with others of their own species are during mating, or when a mother is rearing her cubs. She will usually only have one or two cubs at a time, and they are helpless at birth. They first leave the den around 2-4 months, but will live with mom for up to two years! During their time with mom, young Snow Leopard learn to hunt. These cats can take down pre...

Neofelis diardi The Sunda Clouded Leopard has only been a designated species since 2006. before that, it was considered to be a subspecies of the Clouded Leopard which lives on the Asian continent. The Sunda (or Borneo) Clouded Leopard is only found on Borneo and Sumatra. They are the largest felines on those islands, and can be identified by the irregularly shaped cloud-like ovals on their coats. Not much is known about the behavior of these cats. They have low population densities and are very secretive. They are most likely solitary animals that hunt from the ground but use trees for shelter and protection. The species is listed at Vulnerable, and the population is on a decline. Habitat loss is a major concern, as is hunting for pelts. They live in a few protected areas, but there is more conservation work and research to be done. IUCN Status :  Vulnerable Location :   Borneo and Sumatra Size :  Weight up to 55lbs (25kg) Classification :  Phy...

In the past we've learned about the now-extinct Barbary Lions, and the near-extinct Asiatic Lions. Today we're going to cover the African Lions -- a term that encompasses several different subspecies, including the two aforementioned types. Overall there are 6 extant African subspecies, and they can be found throughout the continent. Lions are actually the only big cats in the world that live in groups-- the rest are solitary. These groups, called "prides" contain several related females, a handful of males, and their offspring. Young females will usually stay with their mother for life, while young males will eventually leave and try to take over their own pride. The sexes have their roles within the prides-- females are the primary hunters, while males guard the territory thanks to their large size and intimidating appearance. (The males also serve as babysitters while the females are hunting). The females hunt cooperatively, working together t...

Lynx pardinus It is estimated that there are less than 150 adult Iberian Lynxes left in the wild, making it one of the most endangered cats on the planet . In fact, were they to go extinct, they would be the very first cat to do so since prehistoric times. Iberian Lynxes are found only in a few isolated pockets in southern Spain. They were once found in Portugal too but it is unknown whether any still remain there. There only two main breeding grounds, one with a few dozen, and the other with perhaps a hundred... though the two groups are divided by enough distance that they do not intermingle. This of course makes the species even more vulnerable. As with most endangered species, habitat loss has played a major role in the decline of the Iberian Lynx. However, there is another cause that is even more devastating. The primary prey of this cat is the European Rabbit. 80-100% of their diet is made up of these lagomorphs. Because rabbit populations are in ...

Felis lunensis Did you know that the Felis  genus, which contains domesticated cats, has been around for 12 million years? Today's animal isn't quite that old, but it did live around 2.5 million years ago, and is one of the very first "modern" cats. Felis lunensis , also known as Martelli's Cat, was discovered in the early 1900s. Its fossils were uncovered in both Italy and Hungary, and the common name comes of the naturalist who first described it-- Ugolino Martelli. Martelli's Cat may actually be a direct ancestor of domesticated cats. It appears that the Asian Wildcat, F. silvestris , evolved from them. One of the subspecies of that animal, F. s. lybica , is the wildcat that housecats were domesticated from! Status :  Extinct for 2.5 million years Location :   Europe Classification :  Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora Family : Felidae -- Genus : Felis -- Species : † F. lunensis

Munchkin Cat The Munchkin is a very new breed of cat that has only been around for 30 years or so. Its creation has led to controversy, as there are many who believe that significant health issues will arise, and that the breed itself is based completely on a mutation. Munchkins have very short legs, similar to the Dachshunds and Corgis in the dog world. This trait is genetic, and cats sporting the short legs were reported back in the 1940s. In 1983 in Louisiana, a woman found a pregnant stray and took her in. Half of the resulting kittens had short legs, and it is from that cat that the Munchkin breed descends from. There was uproar in the early 90s when the breed was first introduced to the cat show circuit. Many believed that these cats would end up having major hip and spine problems, but so far there has been little conclusive evidence for this-- the problems that have arisen are those that can be found across many species of domestic cat. Though there is the iss...

Panthera gombaszoegensis The modern big cats are spread all over the world, but then to have very distinct ranges. Tigers in Asia. Cheetahs in Africa. Jaguars in South America. But in the past this was not the case. Lions lived in Europe and Asia. There was a strange Cheetah-like cat  in North America, and today we'll learn that there were Jaguars in Europe. The European Jaguar lived about 1.5 million years ago, and its fossils have been found throughout central and western Europe. These cats were larger than their cousins who now live halfway around the world, reaching nearly 450lbs in size. They were probably solitary creatures, and their size allowed them to take down large prey. European Jaguars were so similar to the big cats of today that they belong to the very same genus ( Panthera ). There are even some who think they might be a subspecies of modern Jaguars ! So if there were Jaguars in Italy, how the heck did they all end up in South America 1.5 milli...

Prionailurus rubiginosus The Rusty-spotted Cat is one of the smallest cat species in the world, and as adults they weigh only a tiny 3.5lbs. For a comparison, that makes them less than half the size of a normal domestic cat! You'll find these mini-felines in India and Sri Lanka, though good luck spotting one in the wild. They are incredibly secretive and difficult to locate due to their camouflaged fur and small size. It also doesn't help that they have a generally small population size-- it is estimated that less than 10,000 adults remain. Rusty-spotted Cats are nocturnal and partially arboreal. They often sleep in trees, and flee up into them to escape their own predators, but they do most of their hunting on the ground. Rodents, birds, and small reptiles make up their diet. Deforestation and the spread of agriculture has hurt this population immensely. They are listed as Vulnerable, are protected throughout most of their range, and ...

Miracinonyx trumani The American Cheetah is a cat surrounded in taxonomic controversy . Are they Cheetahs? Are they Pumas? Are they both? Unfortunately, the two species, M. inexpectatus  and M. trumani , are known only from fragmentary fossils, so until more turns up it will be difficult to know for sure! What we do know is that the two species lived in North America during the Pleistocene, from around 3 million to 10,000 years ago. They had characteristics that were very similar to modern Cheetahs (who themselves are taxonomically distinct from all other extant cats). Flat faces, short nasal cavities, flexible backs, and long legs are all similarities between the modern and extinct cats. However, those similarities might just be due to a case of convergent evolution. There is some evidence to suggest that these Cats are actually relatives of Pumas and Cougers, not Cheetahs. They may have just evolved in the same way as the Cheetah, d...

Felis silvestris bieti The Chinese Mountain Cat is a very elusive feline. In fact, they are so hard to find that they were the very last cats to be discovered by science! Even then, most of what we knew was taken from skins, and it wasn't until 2007 that the first photograph was taken of one in the wild! They were once considered to be their own separate species, but genetic testing in recent years has led to reclassification. This subspecies of Wildcat is endemic to China, where it can be found at high elevation grasslands, coniferous forests, and shrublands. They are active at night, and hunt for small animals like Birds, Pikas, and other Rodents. It should come as no surprise that the Chinese Mountain Cat is a vulnerable subspecies with a small population size. Estimates state that only around 10,000 mature individuals remain. The intentional poisoning of Pikas has a lot to do with the Cat's decline. The Pika population goes down, lowering the ...

Proailurus lemanensis Meet Proailurus , a cat-like creature from the early Miocene that is shrouded in taxonomic mystery. Its fossils have been found in Europe and Asia, dating back 25-20million years. Proailurus looked quite a bit like modern Fossas-- they had long bodies and short arms. They also possessed the same binocular vision as modern cats, and a similar dental structure. These prehistoric cats most likely climbed trees and stalked their from their as present-day leopards do. But is Proailurus a true feline ? Or is it even more than that? Many believe that Proailurus is the common ancestor for all cats, but it may also be a common ancestor for other creatures as well. A recent genetic study has placed Proailurus into the Feloidea superfamily, which also encompasses the Hyenas and Viverrids (like the aforementioned Fossa). Additional fossils and genetic studies may shed more light on this in the future. Status :  Extinct for 20 millio...

Abyssinian The Abyssinian Cat is yet another domesticated creature that has a slightly confusing back-story. The breed gets its moniker from Abyssinia, an old place name for what is now Ethiopia. Only... there is no evidence that the cats actually came from Ethiopia. It is more likely that the breed developed further north in Egypt, and before that came from ancestors in Southeast Asia. The cats strongly resemble the felines painted in Ancient Egyptian wall murals, and recent genetic studies show resemblances to cats around the Indian Ocean. The ancient origins may never be fully understood, but the modern ones are a little bit more clear (with some exceptions of course). The Abyssinian breed as we know it today was first bred in the United Kingdom at the end of the 19th century. Some claim that the cat who started to whole line was a female named Zula who was imported in the 1860s. However, there is no concrete evidence that this story is true. Wh...

Felis silvestris lybica Most people understand that dogs were domesticated from Grey Wolves, but the ancestry of the domestic cat isn't as widely known. Enter the African Wildcat, a Wildcat subspecies that is responsible for all of the housecats we have today! There are several different Wildcats around the world, spanning across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Though they are all genetically similar, and they all look a heck of a lot like domesticated cats , it is one particular African subspecies ( F. s. lybica ) that ended up being domesticated by Middle Eastern civilizations around 10,000 years ago . African Wildcats live throughout the African continent, as well as on the Arabian Peninsula and near the Caspian Sea. There are actually over a dozen subspecies on the continent aside from the domestic ancestor. They live in most habitats, including deserts, forests, and savannas. The African Wildcat is, unsurprisingly, a carnivore. They hunt by pouncing, and go afte...

So to carry on with my unofficial theme of "cool animals I saw in California Zoos" we come to the Sumatran Tiger. This subspecies is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and is the smallest of all the extant tigers. For a quick size comparison- the Siberian, or Amur Tiger, the largest of the subspecies, can weigh as much as 475lbs. The Sumatran only reaches around 260lbs. Once upon a time there were two other subspecies that were closely related to the Sumatran Tiger- the Bali and Javan Tigers. Both went extinct during the 20th century, and the Sumatran Tiger could very well meet that same fate. They are listed as critically endangered, and there could be as few as 400 left in the wild. It is now illegal to hunt the tigers, but poaching continues to be a major problem (hunting was the major contributor to the extinction of the other Indonesian subspecies). Tiger bones and other body parts are frequently found in countries that no longer have Tiger p...

Wild Barbary Lion, photographed in 1893 Barbary Lions are members of a Lion subspecies that once lived throughout northern Africa. They are now considered to be extinct in the wild. There may be some captive specimens left, but there is some controversy as to whether many are true members of the subspecies. The history of the Barbary Lion is a storied one. They were once fought off by the ancient Egyptians, and they were captured by the Romans for use in gladiatorial events. They also lived in the English Royal Menagerie (and later in the Tower of London ) as far back as the 12th and 13th centuries. Morroccan Kings and Sultans  kept Barbary Lions, and there are some captive individuals today who are said to be descendants of the " Royal Lions ." Barbary Lions were huge . Adult males could weigh as much as 600lbs, making them the largest of the subspecies. They also had shaggy manes that extended well beyond their necks, reaching to their backs and even ...