The Roots of the Cat Family

Felidae is the biological family of the cats; a member of this family is called a felid. The most familiar felid is the domestic cat, which first became associated with humans about 10,000 years ago; but the family includes all other wild cats, including the big cats.

There are 41 known species of felids in the world today, all of which are descended from the same ancestor.

General Classification Genetic research has provided a basis for a more concise classification for the living members of the cat family based on genotypical groupings. Specifically, eight genetic lineages have been identified:

Lineage 1: Pantherinae : Panthera, Uncia, NeofelisLineage 2: Pardofelis, CatopumaLineage 3: Leptailurus, Caracal, ProfelisLineage 4: LeopardusLineage 5: LynxLineage 6: Puma, AcinonyxLineage 7: Prionailurus, OtocolobusLineage 8: Felis

The last four lineages are more related to each other than to any of the first four, and so form a clade within the Felinae subfamily of family Felidae.

Lineage 1 Lineage 5 Lineage 2 Lineage 6 Lineage 3 Lineage 7 Lineage 4 Lineage 8

Lineage of the Cat Family

Panthera is a genus within the Felidae family that was named and first described by the German naturalist Oken in 1816.

Lineage 1

Different types of Cats in the Panthera

Jaguar

Jaguars live in the dense forests of Central America. So do pumas, monkeys, parrots, and many other animals.

LeopardThe leopard is a large,

spotted cat of Africa and

Asia. It hunts alone and at

night and often stores its

food in trees, away from

other hungry animals.

TigerThey can move silently through the forest. They can kill a huge wild boar with a single bite. Their roar sends shivers down your spine. They are perhaps the perfect killing machines. They are tigers.

Next Classification of Lineage 1

Uncia

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia) is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia. A Snow leopard does not roar.

Different Classification of lineage 1

Neofelis

Neofelis is a genus comprising two extant felid species from Southeast Asia: the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) of mainland Asia, and the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) of Sumatra and Borneo.

Cheetah

Clouded LeopardSunda Clouded Leopard

Next Classification of Lineage 1

CheetahThe cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large feline (family Felidae, subfamily Felinae) inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. It is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. The cheetah can run faster than any other land animal— as fast as 112 to 120 km/h (70 to 75 mph)[ in short bursts covering distances up to 500 m (1,600 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in three seconds.

This cat is also notable for modifications in the species' paws. It is one of the few felids with semi-retractable claws.

Neofelis

Clouded Leopard - medium-sized

member of the cat family, native to

the dense forests of southeast Asia.

Despite its name, the clouded

leopard is not a close relative of the

true leopard.

Neofelis

Sunda Clouded Leopard - Clouded

leopards have proportionately the

largest canine teeth of any type of

living cat.

Pardofelis

Pardofelis is a genus within the family of cats. At present, this genus is defined as including three species native to Southeast Asia: the marbled cat, the bay cat and the Asian golden cat.

Marbled Cat

Catolynx Marmoratus

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Marbled Cat

Pardofelis

Catolynx Marmoratus

Pardofelis

Catopuma

Catopuma is a genus containing two small Asian felines, the Bay Cat (C. badia) and the Asian Golden Cat (C. temminckii).

Bay Cat

Bay Cat

ServalThe serval (Leptailurus serval) is a medium-

sized African wild cat. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and

the caracal.

African Golden Cat

Caracal

Lineage 3

African Golden Cat

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CaracalThe caracal (Caracal caracal), also known as the desert lynx, is a wild cat that is widely distributed across Africa, central Asia and southwest Asia into India. In 2002 the listed the caracal as Least Concern as it is widespread and relatively common. The felid is considered threatened in north Africa, and rare in the central Asian republics and India.

Types of Caracal

Lineages

Caracal Desert Lynx

Leopardus (Lineage 4)

Leopardus is a genus consisting of small spotted cats mostly native to Middle and South America. Very few range into the southern United States. The genus is considered the oldest branch of the part of the cat family to cross into the Americas, followed by the genera Lynx and Puma.

Andean Mountain Cat Margay

Colocolo Ocelot

Geoffroy’s Cat Oncilla

Kodkod Pampas Cat

Lineages

Andean Mountain Cat

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Colocolo

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Geoffroy’s Cat

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Kodkod – The world’s smallest cat

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Margay

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Ocelot

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Oncilla

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Pampas Cat

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