Category Nature Science & Wildlife

Snow leopards are considered to be of high value; found in the mountains of Central Asia, they are hunted for their beautiful, warm fur as well as organs that are being used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Their wide, fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes. They use their long tails for balance, and as blankets to cover sensitive body parts against the severe mountain chill. Snow leopards are most active during dawn and dusk. They can outrun their prey over snow and make leaps of up to 13 meters over rocks. They usually prey on blue sheep, markhor, marmots and domestic livestock.

Clouded leopards are found in the forests of Indonesia and the foothills of the Himalayas. They usually weigh around 11-20 kilograms and are named after their distinctive skin. Their tails are as long as their body and help in balancing the body weight.

Clouded leopards are great climbers; they can climb while hanging upside-down under branches and descend tree trunks head-first.

Cougars have a distinctive manner of hunting larger prey. The cougars catch a large prey, drag it up to 350 metres from the place of capture and bury it under leaves and debris. They return later at night to feed.

Cougars use both stealth and power to hunt animals. They prey on different species of hoofed animals, including moose, elk, white-tailed deer, mule deer, and caribou. They will also eat smaller creatures like squirrels, muskrat, porcupine, beaver, raccoon, striped skunk, coyote, bobcats, rabbits, birds, and even snails and fish.

Cougars are native to the Americas. They are solitary animals and hunt either at night or during the early morning hours. They can run at a speed of 55 kilometres per hour and can leap over a distance of nine metres!

Cougars are known by many names including puma, mountain lion, panther, and catamount. Many of you may be familiar with the famous sports brand, ‘Puma’. A full-grown puma weighs up to 90 kilograms.

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The jaguar is the only big cat in America. In fact, it is the third biggest cat after the tiger and the lion. Like many cats, the jaguar too lives alone. Its skin is similar to that of a leopard.

Though jaguars are good climbers and swimmers, they usually hunt on the ground. Jaguars usually attack their prey by pouncing on it. Their powerful jaws and teeth make it easy for them to kill the prey.

Jaguars usually prefer large animals to hunt like tapirs and deer. They can kill a cow that weighs about 450 kilograms! They also hunt small animals like armadillos turtles and porcupines. Like many other big cats, jaguars too drag their kill to a secluded spot before eating it.

Jaguars are worshipped in many cultures that originated in native South America. They are often seen as a symbol of strength and power.

A leopard can rarely be seen and never be heard. This ferocious cat sprints at a speed of 60 kilometres per hour in no time and can leap to a height of three metres. With spotted skin, it looks much like a jaguar, but is smaller in size. In fact, it has smaller legs than many other big cats, but has a bigger skull.

A leopard hunts at night. It usually hunts alone. While hunting, a leopard moves in a slow, crouching walk. Its advanced sense of vision and hearing helps it hunt in dense forests. When a leopard sights a potential target, it stalks forward with head low and legs bent, making clever use of cover. Within the range of about 10 metres, it dashes forward and with the help of sharp, hooked claws, kills its prey. It mainly hunts antelope, deer, and pigs. A leopard can also hunt from the trees. Its spots allow it to blend with the leaves until it springs with a deadly pounce. It usually drags its kill onto tall branches.

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The cheetahs are the smallest of the African big cats. A fully grown cheetah weighs around 58 kilograms. Cheetahs are known for their unbeatable speed. Long legs, a slender body and a long tail help the cheetah to run fast. It is its speed that aids a cheetah in hunting.

A cheetah hunts during the day. In a burst of speed, it tries to get as close to the prey as possible, outruns the prey and knocks it down. Because of their speed, their body overheats in about twenty seconds! If the prey can stay ahead for longer than 20 seconds, it stands a good chance of escaping. If the kill is successful, the cheetah drags the prey to a safe hiding place, protecting the kill from being stolen.

Cheetahs are native to Central Iran and Africa. Earlier, they were tamed and were used for hunting. It is said that Emperor Akbar kept a thousand trained cheetahs for hunting!

Humans view the golden and black stripes of a tiger with awe and terror. This ferocious animal is admired for its beauty, swift-yet-silent movements and the grace with which it catches its prey. The tiger is the biggest of all cats. It is a territorial hunter; a tiger marks its territory either by clawing on trees or with its faecal matter.

Tigers need plenty of space to thrive. They prey on many species of deer, antelope, wild pigs and porcupine. They are also known to kill animals as large as wild bulls and buffaloes. Tigers follow a strategy to hunt. They stalk their prey, sometimes for hours, and try to get as close as possible. At the right moment, they pounce on the prey from behind, biting the neck or throat. When the prey is dead, it is dragged to a safe place to be eaten. Tigers are brilliant swimmers; they catch fish and turtles as well.

There are six different species of tigers that live in a variety of habitats ranging from the forests of Southern Asia to mangrove swamps and snowy mountains.

Picture Credit : Google