All about the Family of Cats.

1. The Roots of
the Cat Family

2. 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.

3. 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, Neofelis
Lineage 2: Pardofelis, Catopuma
Lineage 3: Leptailurus, Caracal, Profelis
Lineage 4: Leopardus
Lineage 5: Lynx
Lineage 6: Puma, Acinonyx
Lineage 7: Prionailurus, Otocolobus
Lineage 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.

4. Lineage of the Cat
Family
Lineage 1
Lineage 2
Lineage 3
Lineage 4
Lineage 5
Lineage 6
Lineage 7
Lineage 8

5. Lineage 1
Panthera is a genus within the Felidae family that was named and
first described by the German naturalist Oken in 1816.
Different types of Cats in the Panthera

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

8. Tiger
They 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

9. 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

10. 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.
Clouded Leopard
Cheetah
Next Classification of
Lineage 1
Sunda Clouded
Leopard

11. Neofelis
Cheetah
The 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 semiretractable claws.

12. Neofelis

14. 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
Back to Lineages

15. Pardofelis
Marbled
Cat

16. Catolynx
Marmoratus
Pardofelis

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

18. Bay Cat

19. Lineage 3
Serval
The serval (Leptailurus serval) is a mediumsized 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

20. African Golden Cat
Back

21. Lineages
Caracal
The 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

22. Caracal Desert
Lynx

23. Lineages
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
Kodkod
Oncilla
Pampas Cat

24. Andean Mountain
Cat
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25. Colocolo
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26. Geoffroy’s
Cat
Back

27. Kodkod – The world’s smallest cat
Back

28. Margay
Back

29. Ocelot
Back

30. Oncilla
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31. Pampas Cat
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