Our planet is inhabited by 37 species of representatives of the cat family. Most of them are large animals, predators. Lions and tigers, panthers and pumas, leopards and cheetahs are considered the largest wild cats in the world. Representatives of this large family have distinctive features in behavior, color, habitat, etc.
In nature there are animals that amaze with their incredible size. In this article we will talk about some of them, and you will also find out the name of the largest wild cat in the world.
Cheetah
An animal that combines the traits and characteristics of both cats and dogs. Long and slender legs, like dogs, a short body and the ability, like cats, to climb trees. This is not the largest cat in the world. Her height does not exceed 90 cm and her weight is 65 kilograms. The body is slender with well-developed muscles and almost no fat deposits; it may even seem fragile.
The cheetah's head is small, with high-set eyes and small rounded ears. The cheetah's short fur is sand-colored with black spots.
Most of the population of these predators is found in African countries: Angola, Algeria, Botswana, Benin, Congo, etc. There are not very many cheetahs left in Asia: according to unconfirmed reports, habitats are preserved only in the central part of Iran.
Animals prefer flat and large spaces, since the hunting style of these wild cats is quite unusual: they are able to quietly approach prey at a distance of less than 10 meters, and then make a rapid dash, developing enormous speed. However, they can only pursue their prey for only 400 meters. If she managed to escape during this time, the cheetah rests and waits for a new victim.
Famous giant cats
Breeders and owners of big cats are constantly recording new achievements to show the benefits of breeding and keeping a particular breed.
Before the fairly young Maine Coon Omar from Australia had time to win the hearts of lovers with his 120-centimeter size and 14-kilogram weight, his record was challenged by the even larger Walter de Lanez from the Ukrainian Melitopol.
Its weight exceeds 20 kg. In the near future, the owners are going to submit an application to the Guinness Book of Records to take away the championship “throne” from overseas competitors.
British shorthair cats have long been famous for their faithful service to their state. They are traditionally appointed to the position of chief rat catcher at the Prime Minister's residence, and the treasury allocates separate financial resources for their maintenance. When Larry the cat left his post for a while, the whole country discussed this fact.
British Cat Larry
But even outbred cats rarely give the palm to their purebred brothers. The legendary Tom, who was picked up by an English officer somewhere near Sevastopol during the Crimean War, showed his saviors many caches of food, thanks to which they managed to avoid starvation.
Judging by the memories, he differed from an ordinary domestic cat in his very large size. And in 2021, a mongrel cat appeared in Philadelphia, Mister BJ, who weighed almost 13 kg; in size he could “overtake” the wild savannah and the Maine Coon.
Experienced owners believe that there is never too much of a good cat. It is impossible to refuse such a pleasure in the house as a large, affectionate cat, which rubs against the legs and purrs loudly under the owner’s side. Health problems in such animals are extremely rare, and with proper care they can live to a ripe old age.
Almost all large cats belong to the category of long-livers and easily cross the 15-year mark. This means that they please owners much longer than smaller representatives of the “cat” family.
Sources
- https://MrKot.com/samye-bolshie-koshki-v-mire
- https://pets-expert.ru/bolshie-koshki-obzor-krupnyh-porod/
- https://twizz.ru/10-samyx-bolshih-domashnih-koshek/
- https://basetop.ru/samye-bolshie-koshki-v-mire/
- https://litbro.ru/interesnoe/top-10-samyh-bolshih-koshek
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Puma
It is one of the largest wild cats in the world and the second largest in the Americas. The height at the withers is about 70 cm with a body length of 180 cm. The average weight of the predator is 100 kg. The body is elongated, rather massive, the hind legs are longer than the front legs, the head is small, proportional to the body. Color: gray or reddish.
The puma lives mainly in South America or western North America, as well as in Yucatan. The animal settles in almost any area - from plains to mountains. This cat is not too picky about food, can feast on ungulates, and does not disdain insects. Cases of attacks on people have been recorded; as a rule, these were short people walking alone, or children.
Pixie Bob breed
These short-haired cats are often called domesticated lynxes, and for good reason. They are indeed very similar to lynxes, and were bred from them. They look like a smaller version of a wild animal. This is a rare type of cat that has tufted ears and a short tail. The pixie bob reaches the following figures: for males it is on average 8 kg, for females - 5 kg.
Leopard
Of the world's largest wild cats, the leopard is considered the most cunning predator. Despite the fact that its size is smaller than that of a tiger or a lion, it is in no way inferior to them in the power of its jaws. Height at the withers does not exceed 80 cm, and weight - 100 kg. The length of the body can be more than 195 cm. The leopard is distributed in savannas, mountainous regions of Africa and in the southern half of East Asia.
The predator has its own characteristics:
- climbs trees well;
- overcomes water obstacles without difficulty;
- can eat fish;
- sits in ambush for a very long time;
- goes out hunting alone at night;
- to protect its prey, it drags it up a tree.
Leopards are considered more aggressive, whose color is predominantly black, which animals receive due to the high content of the hormone melatonin.
Jaguar - America's largest wild cat
This predatory inhabitant of the jungles of Central and South America is very similar to a leopard, but much more massive and larger. Height at the withers is 63-76 cm, and weight is approximately 90 kg. The body length of a jaguar can reach 185 cm. This representative of the feline is a solitary hunter, both males and females carefully protect their territory from their own kind and from other predators. Only during weddings do jaguars gather in packs; fights between males rarely occur - the female makes the choice. She also raises the kittens until they are old enough to defend their territory.
The jaguar's prey can include caimans, crocodiles, peccaries, snakes, turtles, monkeys and other small and not so small inhabitants of the jungle and reservoirs. This predator does not disdain livestock either. Cases of attacks on people are rare.
In many countries, the jaguar is listed in the Red Book and hunting it is strictly prohibited. In others, such as Mexico, limited shooting is permitted.
a lion
This mighty animal is one of the largest wild cats in the world. A lion, whose weight reaches and sometimes exceeds 250 kg, with a height at the withers of 123 cm and a body length of up to 250 cm, is a formidable and dangerous predator. The color of the thick coat with a dense undercoat varies from sandy to dark brown. The characteristic features of a lion are a luxurious mane, which only males have, and a tuft at the tip of the tail. These predators live mainly in Africa; small populations remain in India.
The lion notifies the surrounding area that it is going out to hunt with a menacing roar that can be heard several kilometers from the animal’s location. These are the only representatives of the family living in prides (large families), led by the leader of the pack, a young and strong lion. During the hunt, the males are in ambush, and the females drive the prey.
Domestic cats
It is worth saying that today the largest cats in the world are considered to be: the Savannah (or Asherah, which some experts consider a new species, while others consider it the same Savannah) and the Maine Coon. The largest ones also include the domestic jungle cat, ragdoll, pixie-bob and Russian Siberian cat. Now about each breed and the largest representatives in more detail.
Savannah
This cat is distinguished not only by its large weight, but also by its size - both length and height.
The Maine Coon usually weighs the same amount as an animal of this breed (i.e., from 12 to 15 kg), but especially large individuals weigh up to 20 kilograms or more. True, the Savannah is a relatively domestic cat, because a wild African serval and an ordinary cat participated in the creation of the breed.
Interestingly, one representative of this breed was even placed in the Guinness Book of Records - she is the tallest individual, having a height at the withers of as much as 48 cm. By the way, the Savannah is also one of the most expensive breeds in the world: a kitten can be bought for $5,000-25,000!
Maine Coon
The average specimen of this breed weighs from 8 to 10 kg, but individual individuals have been recorded whose weight reaches up to 15 kilograms.
These cats are distinguished not only by their large size, but also by their unusual appearance, which makes them very cute: with fluffy tufts on their ears, with soft long hair of various colors, they are very popular among those who want to have the very best.
The record holder of this breed is the longest cat in the world - 1 m and 23 cm in length of its entire body, including the tail.
Chausi
Domestic jungle cat, or as this breed is also called - Hausie, Chausie, Shawsie. In terms of weight, this is by far the largest breed among domestic cats, because it can weigh up to 18 kg!
The “parents” of this breed were the wild jungle cat and the Abyssinian cat. The breeders who created the new species had a single goal, wanting to protect wild cats from being kept in captivity.
The resulting “kitty” is very friendly, but at the same time has the power and strength of a wild animal.
Ragdoll
This breed is distinguished by a fairly large weight of males - 8-9 kg is not uncommon for them. These are very calm (to the point of phlegmatic), imperturbable, absolutely non-conflict cats.
Pixie bob
Lynx in miniature - there is no other way to describe this breed. These cats took absolutely everything from their wild “big brother” : they have fur of the same color, tassels on their ears, and a short tail (only 5 to 10 cm long).
The maximum weight that animals can reach is 8 kilograms for a cat and 5 kilograms for a cat. Quite a lot too.
Siberian cat
The breed of Siberian cats stands apart, which is more popular in our regions.
Here we will also talk about weight: some “boys” can reach a weight of 12 kg with an average of 9 kilograms, while “girls” weigh 5-6 kilograms. Siberians are distinguished by their very long and fluffy hair, which is hypoallergenic, which is important for allergy sufferers who love cats, and their affectionate character. In addition, they are very beautiful, and their photos often decorate calendars and other printed materials.
Of course, one could write about the fattest specimens of various cat breeds that are not particularly large, but now such “records” are not recorded , because, again, in the pursuit of something unusual, people go too far and simply destroy their pets, overfeeding. Moreover, such cases are quite common. Still, just for fun: the officially registered weight of the fattest domestic cat (not a purebred) is 21 kilograms!
Tigers
These beautiful animals are considered to be the largest wild cats in the world. The size and weight of these giants is impressive. Often the weight of a tiger exceeds 250 kg, and the height of the animal at the withers is 1.2 meters. The body length of an adult male often exceeds three meters.
Predators have a strong and muscular body, a large round head with a convex skull, a beautiful and bright color - rich red with black stripes. These animals today survive in 16 countries - Bhutan and Bangladesh, India and Vietnam, Iran and Indonesia, China and Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand and Russia. It is believed that there is a small population in the DPRK, but this information has not been officially confirmed.
Tigers live in tropical rainforests, bamboo thickets in the tropics, mangrove swamps and dry savannas, semi-deserts, bare rocky hills and in the north in the taiga. Their feeding territory extends in different areas for 300-500 km. The predator hunts in the evening and in the morning. It attacks from ambush, sniffing out its prey.
Tigers are surprisingly clean. Before each hunt, the predator must bathe in order to fight off the smell that could scare away the future victim. A person can become the easiest prey for this cat. But it attacks only when people violate the boundaries of its territory or the predator’s food supply dries up. Nowadays, cases of tigers attacking people are extremely rare. This is due to a decrease in the population of almost all species of this animal. All subspecies of tigers are steadily decreasing in number and are included in the Red Book.
Ligers and Tiglons
And finally, the largest wild cat in the world (you can see the photo below) is a hybrid of a female tiger and a male lion. Ligers grow rapidly, gaining up to 500 grams per day. The offspring obtained from a lioness (mother) and a tiger (father) are called tiglons. Such animals are as rare as ligers, but are inferior in size.
Ligers usually grow larger than their parents, and tiglons are close in size to tigers. Ligers, like tigers, love to swim, but are more sociable, which is typical for lions. They can only live in captivity. It is quite natural that this hybrid cannot be born in nature, since tigers and lions do not have a common habitat and do not intersect in the wild.
The liger is the largest wild cat in the world. Until recently, there was a misconception that it grows throughout life due to hormonal characteristics. But then it was found that after reaching the age of six, this animal stops growing, like tigers and lions.
Standing on its hind legs, the liger reaches a height of four meters. Females of these cats weigh 320 kg and their body length is three meters. Quite often they retain the ability to reproduce, while the males are sterile. This is one of the problems in the reproduction of such hybrid offspring.
Cubs that were born from a ligress mother are called liligers. There is data on the maximum weight of such an animal being 540 kg, and in the USA, in the state of Wisconsin - 725 kg. In 1973, the Guinness Book of Records was updated with information about the largest liger at that time. The weight of this hybrid cat was 798 kilograms. The animal lived in South Africa, in one of the zoological centers.
Ragdoll breed
They are no longer as huge as previous representatives, but still significantly larger than their ordinary counterparts. The males have the largest numbers, their average weight is 9 kg. They also set a record for length - 1 m. These cats are very similar to soft rag dolls, not so much because of their appearance, but because of their character. They are charming, sweet, kind and non-aggressive.
Hercules
Today, the largest wild cat in the world, Hercules, lives in a Miami park. The animal is 16 years old. He was born in 2002 from the union of a lion and a tigress. He took a worthy place in the Guinness Book of Records thanks to his weight of 408 kilograms. The height of the animal is 183 centimeters, and the diameter of the muzzle is 73 centimeters. Hercules is a unique liger, because he was born only because his parents were kept in the same enclosure.
Scientists believe that artificial breeding of these animals is associated only with geographical features. In the distant past, when the habitats of tigers and lions coincided, ligers were not something special in the wild and these giants regularly updated the population. And today there is no possibility of mating of the largest wild cats in natural conditions.
Interesting records
Sometimes among the record holders there were very funny cats. For example, the heaviest cat was the representative of the title “The plumpest domestic cat” with the funny name SpongeBob. He weighed about 15 kg, but now he had to go on a diet.
He was the last cat to take first place in this category, because they decided to exclude the category itself, so that lovers of fame, their owners, would not torture their poor animals. After all, there have been cases when the owners of a cat achieved its victory by sacrificing the life of their pet. This is exactly what happened to the cat Khiimiya from Austria, who was able to gain weight of 21 kilograms. Unfortunately, it was obesity that killed him.
You need to take care of your pets, do not forget about their health, give them love and care, then you will become the owner of the happiest cat in the world.
