Tigrina or Oncilla Common Name: Oncilla Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata) Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felinae (leopardus) Species: tigrinus Misc: This species has been widely hunted for the fur trade throughout its range. In the early 80’s, it became the leading spotted cat in theinternational fur trade, with the number of skins…
Rusty Spotted Cat Common Name: Rusty Spotted CatKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: FelidaeGenus: Felinae (Prionailurus)Species: rubiginosus Misc: One of the smallest cats in the world. Sub-species: P.r. rubiginosa – IndiaP.r. phillipsi – Sri Lanka Size and Appearance: Another of the small cats about which little is known, this cat has a grayish coat with…
Common Name: Leopard CatKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: FelidaeGenus: Felinae (Prionailurus) P.b. euptilura Amur Leopard CatSpecies: bengalensisMisc: This cat has been the subject of long debate as to its taxonomic status. There are numerous subspecies that some feel should be classified as individual species in their own right and other species that are felt…
Sand Cat Common Name: Sand CatKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: FelidaeGenus: Felinae (Felis)Species: margaritaMisc: This is one of the more difficult cats to study in the wild. Their foot coverings allow them to walk on sand without sinking, leaving their footprints nearly invisible. They have learned to crouch down and shut their eyes…
Common Name: Geoffroy’s CatKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: FelidaeGenus: Felinae (Oncifelis)Species: geoffroyiMisc: Geoffroy’s cats are strong swimmers that regularly enter the water, and have been recorded frequently swimming fast flowing rivers 100 feet wide. Geoffroy’s cats were named after the French naturalist Geoffroy St. Hilaire. Sub-species:F.g. geoffroyiF.g. salinarum (once believed to be a separate…
Common Name: Manul (a.k.a. Pallas’s Cat) Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata) Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felinae (Octocolobus) Species: manul Misc: Peter Pallas who first described this cat, erroneously suggested that it was the ancestor of the Persian breeds of domestic cats because of its long fur, stocky build and flattened face. Captive…
Fishing Cat Common Name: Fishing CatKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: FelidaeGenus: Felinae (Prionailurus)Species: viverrinus Misc.: This is yet another example of a cat that disproves the misconception that cats don’t like water. This cat received its Latin name from its civet-like appearance (the viverridae family) from Bennet (1833) who first described the Fishing Cat…
Canada Lynx Common Name: Canadian LynxKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: FelidaeGenus: Felinae (Lynx)Species: canadensis Misc: The debate continues whether or not the Canadian Lynx is in fact a separate species from the Eurasian (a.k.a. Siberian or Iberian) Lynx, or merely a sub-species. Experts are evenly divided on this subject, but for now, it remains…
MARGAY Common Name: Margay Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata (Vertebrata) Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Felinae (Leopardus) Species: wiedii Misc: Of all of the felines, the Margay is most adapted for a true arboreal life. It is the only cat to possess the ability to rotate its hind legs 180° , enabling it to…
Snow Leopards Hear about Snow Leopards: Common Name: Snow LeopardKingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata (Vertebrata)Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: FelidaeGenus: Pantherinae UnciaSpecies: uncia Misc.: This species, like the clouded leopard, is one of those that is somewhere between the small cats and the great cats in that it can’t purr like the small cats and it can’t roar…