Title is pretty self-explanatory; what is your favourite big cat species? I have included Snow leopards, Pumas, Clouded leopards and even Cheetahs in the discussion even though the definition of 'big cat' is pretty varied (some say those of genus Panthera, some say the latter plus Cloudies and snow leopards, some say the latter plus pumas, and some say all of them ) Anyways, what are your opinions?
Certainly not lions,Cheetahs or tigers as they seem to commonplace to standout as particularly exciting.I think the same of Pumas but for different reasons.I did not enjoy Snow Leopards or Clouded Leopards as much as I thought I would when I first saw them and ever since they have failed to stand out strong. I am not sure between Jaguars and Leopards.It is certainly one of the two.I will be voting Jaguar for now.
Mine is predictably the leopard, but I do have a genuine reason. They are perhaps the joint best of these cats at climbing and can show immense strength when needed to pull prey as large as giraffe calves up trees. They have also been known to take down prey as large as adult male wildebeest, who are easily 5 times their weight. They are possibly the best stalkers and ambushers in the whole cat family and can also swim competently. They can even hold their own against lions when necessary, an impressive feat given lions are easily twice their weight.
Leopards are undoubtedly my second favourite.Jaguars are my first because many people assume lions are the dominant due to their title as ‘King of the Jungle’ or ‘King of Beasts’.But lions can be beaten by hyenas using pack-hunting and are dependent on the rest of their pride.They struggle to take down Elephants,Rhinos and Hippos which(if a dominant species asides from humans had to be selected in Africa)are effectively dominant. With Jaguars,there is no competition.They are great swimmers(they have been recorded successfully killing caiman),great climbers and immensely powerful(according to some sources they have a bite force of 2000 psi,almost twice that of a tiger, over three times that of a lion and around the same as a hippo’s). It is the fact which they are so underestimated,have a beautiful coat pattern(I prefer it to a leopard’s or snow leopard’s)and the fact which some have mellanism that makes Jaguars my favourite Big Cat. Ranking: 1.Jaguar 2.Leopard 3.Sunda Clouded Leopard 4.Indochinese Clouded Leopard 5.Snow Leopard 6.Tiger 7.Puma 8.Cheetah 9.Lion Honestly,I love all felines, especially Big Cats, so choosing a favourite is difficult.
All cats are exciting, maybe the bigger the better. Almost any situation is made more interesting with the addition of a Tiger.
While I understand what you're driving at, this is terrible rationale. It would be nigh impossible for a jaguar to take down something of comparable size to any of three you mentioned. I would, however, love to see more non-amur leopards and jaguars in zoos. To answer the question at hand: The Amur/Siberian Tiger.
I'm guessing you live in/around the US? Yes, it is really a shame that there isn't more of a variety in the US, but then again Amur leopards were in really desperate need of help and still are in a sense, so I guess it is for a good cause. Here in Europe we have Indian, Sri Lankan, North Persian, Amur, North Chinese and Javan. Arabian can be found in the Middle East at a few collections. I think the variety of different coat patterns and sizes and habitats make me like leopards even more though. I also agree that I would like to see (many) more jaguars. I find them perhaps joint second on my list with tigers. On another note, snow leopards have hit the top! Still quite tight though. I notice a lot of the snow leopard voters have snow leopard in either their name or avatar
Yes it would be impossible(I was just giving some scale)but it would probably win against any of the others.Jaguars have always fascinated me due to their good climbing(even if leopards are better) and the fact they can swim! I do not think it is just the USA.According to Zootierliste there are 11 UK zoos with Amur Leopards,1 with African Leopards,2 with North Chinese Leopards and 1 with Sri Lankan Leopards.Any leopards I have not named are absent from UK collections.While there are a few zoos with non-Amur Leopards(two of those have open days)there is still a clear ‘Amur dominion’.I have only seen non-Amurs at four zoos(all except one in France)so it would be great if more UK zoos exhibit the other species.
I vote for snow leopard, with clouded leopard in second place. Lions and tigers are boring so not them. Snow leopard are rare (for me at least) and is highly elusive in the wild. The coat also looks great.
Difficult to choose between them as adults, but the snow leopard cubs pull them ahead for me. How would a single Jaguar manage better against a Hyaena pack?
It's a toss up between Jaguar and Snow Leopard for me... But I'd say that Jaguars *just* about win...
Snow Leopards are in Panthera I generally think of "big cats" as those 5, with cloudeds, cheetahs, and pumas being a half tier below. Considering the entire wall behind me is covered in Cheetah artwork, I think I'm going to go with that
Oh no... I keep thinking that Snow leopards are Uncia uncia because of one of these wildlife books that has slightly inaccurate information but just hopes they'll get away with it. Yes, me too, it's just that some consider them to be part of the big cat 'area' of the tree. Fair enough with the cheetahs.
That was a tough one. I’m gonna say tiger for the variation of subspecies. I’ve seen Siberian, Bengal (not purebred), Malayan and Sumatran and they were all so different. The white colour mutation of the Bengal isn’t something I’m supposed to like as a ZooChatter, but I’m glad I’ve seen it my lifetime. I’d probably rank lions second for the fact they’re usually exhibited in prides and more animals = more activity; followed by leopard (for the same reason as tigers with the variation of subspecies).
I feel like lions are underrated in the zoo community. You can't deny that when you saw a lion when you are a little kid starting to grow into the interest of zoology you felt amazed that such an animal can exist on the same planet. Plus a lion roar is always the best sound to hear at a zoo unless its coming from behind you.
