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Felidae is a family of mammals in the order Carnivora, colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is called a felid.[1][2] The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to domestic cats. The characteristic features of cats have evolved to support a carnivorous lifestyle, with adaptations for ambush or stalking and short pursuit hunting. They have slender muscular bodies, strong flexible forelimbs and retractable claws for holding prey, dental and cranial adaptations for a strong bite, and often have characteristic striped or spotted coat patterns for camouflage.[3][4]

Felidae comprises two extant subfamilies, the Pantherinae and the Felinae. The former includes the five Panthera species tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard, as well as the two Neofelis species clouded leopard and Sunda clouded leopard.[2] The subfamily Felinae includes 12 genera and 34 species, such as the bobcat, caracal, cheetah, cougar, ocelot, and common domestic cat.[5]

Traditionally, five subfamilies have been distinguished within the Felidae based on phenotypical features: the Felinae, the Pantherinae, the Acinonychinae (cheetahs), the extinct Machairodontinae, and the extinct Proailurinae.[6] Molecular phylogenetic analysis suggests that living (extant) felids fall into eight lineages (clades).[7][8] The placement of the cheetah within the Puma lineage invalidates the traditional subfamily Acinonychinae, and recent sources use only two subfamilies for extant genera.[5] The number of accepted species in Felidae has been around 40 since the 18th century, though research, especially modern molecular phylogenetic analysis, has over time adjusted the generally accepted genera as well as the divisions between recognized subspecies, species, and population groups.[9] In addition to the extant species listed here, over 30 fossil genera have been described; these are divided into the subfamilies Felinae, Pantherinae, Proailurinae, and Machairodontinae. This final subfamily includes the genus Smilodon, known as the saber-toothed tiger, which went extinct around 10,000 years ago. The earliest known felid genus is Proailurus, part of Proailurinae, which lived approximately 25 million years ago in Eurasia.[10]

Conventions

IUCN Red List categories
Conservation status
EX	Extinct (0 species)
EW	Extinct in the wild (0 species)
CR	Critically Endangered (0 species)
EN	Endangered (5 species)
VU	Vulnerable (13 species)
NT	Near threatened (7 species)
LC	Least concern (14 species)
Other categories
DD	Data deficient (0 species)
NE	Not evaluated (2 species)

Conservation status codes listed follow the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Range maps are provided wherever possible; if a range map is not available, a description of the cat's range is provided. Ranges are based on the IUCN Red List for that species unless otherwise noted. All extinct species or subspecies listed went extinct after 1500 CE, and are indicated by a dagger symbol "".

Classification

The family Felidae consists of 41 extant species belonging to 14 genera and divided into 92 subspecies. This does not include hybrid species (such as the liger) or extinct prehistoric species (such as Smilodon). Modern molecular studies indicate that the 14 genera can be grouped into 8 lineages.[9]

Felids

The following classification is based on the most recent proposals, as codified in 2017 by the Cat Specialist Group of the IUCN.[9] Range maps are based on IUCN range data.

Subfamily Felinae

Bay cat lineage

Genus Catopuma (Severtzov, 1858) – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Asian golden cat	C. temminckii Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 Two subspecies C. t. moormensis C. t. temminckii	Scattered areas of Southeast Asia	Size: 71–105 cm (28–41 in) long, 40–56 cm (16–22 in) tail[11] Habitat: Forest, savanna, grassland, and shrubland[12] Diet: Mostly unknown, with evidence of preying on rodents, squirrels, and snakes[12]	NT  Unknown [12]
Bay cat	C. badia Gray, 1874	The island of Borneo	Size: 53–67 cm (21–26 in) long, 32–40 cm (13–16 in) tail[13] Habitat: Forest[14] Diet: Unknown[14]	EN  2,200 [14]

Genus Pardofelis (Severtzov, 1858) – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Marbled cat	P. marmorata Martin, 1836 Two subspecies P. m. longicaudata P. m. marmorata	Parts of Southeast Asia	Size: 45–62 cm (18–24 in) long, 36–55 cm (14–22 in) tail[15] Habitat: Forest[16] Diet: Likely preys on rodents, squirrels, and birds[16]	NT  Unknown [16]

Caracal lineage

Genus Caracal (Gray, 1843) – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
African golden cat	C. aurata Temminck, 1827 Two subspecies C. a. aurata C. a. celidogaster	Central Africa	Size: 65–90 cm (26–35 in) long, 28–35 cm (11–14 in) tail[17] Habitat: Forest[18] Diet: Preys mainly on rodents and squirrels, along with antelope and primates[18]	VU  Unknown [18]
Caracal	C. caracal Schreber, 1776 Three subspecies C. c. caracals (Southern caracal) C. c. nubicus (Northern caracal) C. c. schmitzi (Asiatic caracal)	Most of non-desert Africa and Middle East	Size: 80–100 cm (31–39 in) long, 20–34 cm (8–13 in) tail[19] Habitat: Forest, desert, grassland, shrubland, and savanna[20] Diet: Preys mainly on rodents, as well as antelope, birds, reptiles, and fish[20]	LC  Unknown [20]

Genus Leptailurus (Severtzov, 1858) – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Serval	L. serval Schreber, 1776 Three subspecies L. s. constantina L. s. lipostictus L. s. serva	Non-rainforest sub-Saharan Africa	Size: 59–100 cm (23–39 in) long, 20–38 cm (8–15 in) tail[21] Habitat: Grassland, inland wetlands, forest, and savanna[22] Diet: Primarily preys on small mammals and rodents, as well as birds, reptiles, and arthropods[22]	LC  Unknown [22]

Ocelot lineage

Genus Leopardus (Gray, 1842) – eight species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Andean mountain cat	L. jacobita Cornalia, 1865	Andes mountains	Size: 57–65 cm (22–26 in) long, 41–48 cm (16–19 in) tail[23] Habitat: Rocky areas, shrubland, and grassland[24] Diet: Primarily preys on rodents, as well as other small mammals[24]	EN  1,400 [24]
Geoffroy's cat	L. geoffroyi d'Orbigny & Gervais, 1844	Southern and central regions of South America	Size: 43–88 cm (17–35 in) long, 23–40 cm (9–16 in) tail[25] Habitat: Savanna, forest, shrubland, and grassland[26] Diet: Primarily preys on small rodents, birds, and rabbits[26]	LC  Unknown [26]
Kodkod	L. guigna Molina, 1782 Two subspecies L. g. guigna L. g. tigrillo	Central and southern Chile	Size: 37–56 cm (15–22 in) long, 20–25 cm (8–10 in) tail[27] Habitat: Shrubland and forest[28] Diet: Primarily preys on small mammals, especially rodents, and also small marsupials, birds, reptiles, and carrion[28]	VU  6,000–92,000 [28]
Margay	L. wiedii Schinz, 1821 Three subspecies L. w. glauculus L. w. vigens L. w. wiedii	Most of South America and Central America	Size: 46–69 cm (18–27 in) long, 23–52 cm (9–20 in) tail[29] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and savanna[30] Diet: Primarily preys on small mammals, as well as lizards and birds[30]	NT  Unknown [30]
Ocelot	L. pardalis Linnaeus, 1758 Two subspecies L. p. mitis L. p. pardalis	Most of South and Central America, Southwestern United States, Trinidad and Margarita in the Caribbean	Size: 50–102 cm (20–40 in) long, 30–50 cm (12–20 in) tail[31] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and savanna[32] Diet: Primarily preys on small and medium mammals, birds and reptiles[32]	LC  Unknown [32]
Oncilla	L. tigrinus Schreber, 1775 Three subspecies L. t. oncilla L. t. pardinoides L. t. tigrinus	Most of South America	Size: 38–59 cm (15–23 in) long, 20–42 cm (8–17 in) tail[33] Habitat: Forest and shrubland[34] Diet: Primarily preys on small mammals, birds and reptiles[34]	VU  9,000–10,000 [34]
Pampas cat	L. colocola Molina, 1782 Seven subspecies L. c. braccatus L. c. budini L. c. colocola L. c. garleppi L. c. munoai L. c. pajeros L. c. wolffsohn	West coast of South America and parts of Brazil	Size: 42–79 cm (17–31 in) long, 22–33 cm (9–13 in) tail[35] Habitat: Forest, savanna, shrubland, grassland, and desert[36] Diet: Primarily preys on small mammals and ground-dwelling birds[36]	NT  Unknown [36]
Southern tiger cat	L. guttulus Hensel, 1872	Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay	Size: 38–59 cm (15–23 in) long, 20–42 cm (8–17 in) tail[37] Habitat: Forest and savanna[38] Diet: Preys primarily on small mammals, birds and lizards[38]	VU  6,000 [38]

Lynx lineage

Genus Lynx (Kerr, 1792) – four species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Bobcat	L. rufus Schreber, 1777 Two subspecies L. r. fasciatus L. r. rufus	Most of the United States and parts of Canada and Mexico	Size: 50–120 cm (20–47 in) long, 9–25 cm (4–10 in) tail[39] Habitat: Desert, shrubland, savanna, forest, and grassland[40] Diet: Primarily preys on rabbits, along with rodents and small or medium-sized mammals[40]	LC  Unknown [40]
Canada lynx	L. canadensis Kerr, 1792	Canada, Alaska, and parts of northern United States	Size: 73–106 cm (29–42 in) long, 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tail[41] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[42] Diet: Preys almost exclusively on hares, especially snowshoe hares[42]	LC  Unknown [42]
Eurasian lynx	L. lynx Linnaeus, 1758 Six subspecies L. l. balcanicus (Balkan lynx) L. l. carpathicus (Carpathian lynx) L. l. dinniki (Caucasian lynx) L. l. isabellinus (Turkestan lynx) L. l. lynx (Northern lynx) L. l. wrangeli (Siberian lynx)	Eastern Europe, Russia, and parts of China	Size: 90–120 cm (35–47 in) long, 19–23 cm (7–9 in) tail[43] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, desert, rocky areas, and grassland[44] Diet: Primarily preys on deer, as well as other small or medium-sized mammals and birds[44]	LC  Unknown [44]
Iberian lynx	L. pardinus Temminck, 1827	Scattered pockets of Spain and Portugal	Size: 65–92 cm (26–36 in) long, 11–16 cm (4–6 in) tail[45] Habitat: Shrubland[46] Diet: Preys almost exclusively on the European rabbit[46]	EN  160 [46]

Puma lineage

Genus Acinonyx (Brookes, 1828) – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Cheetah	A. jubatus Schreber, 1775 Four subspecies A. j. hecki (Northwest African cheetah) A. j. jubatus (Southeast African cheetah) A. j. soemmeringii (Northeast African cheetah) A. j. venaticus (Asiatic cheetah)	Southern, eastern, and central Africa; Iran	Size: 113–140 cm (44–55 in) long, 60–84 cm (24–33 in) tail[47] Habitat: Desert, grassland, savanna, and shrubland[48] Diet: Preys mainly upon antelopes and gazelles[48]	VU  6,700 [48]

Genus Herpailurus (Saint-Hilaire, 1803) – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Jaguarundi	H. yagouaroundi Saint-Hilaire, 1803	Most of South and Central America	Size: 49–78 cm (19–31 in) long, 28–59 cm (11–23 in) tail[49] Habitat: Grassland, shrubland, savanna, and forest[50] Diet: Primarily preys on small mammals, birds and reptiles[50]	LC  Unknown [50]

Genus Puma (Jardine, 1834) – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Cougar	P. concolor Linnaeus, 1771 Two subspecies P. c. concolor (South American cougar) P. c. couguar (North American cougar)	South America and North America	Size: 100–150 cm (39–59 in) long, 60–90 cm (24–35 in) tail[51] Habitat: Forest, desert, grassland, savanna, and shrubland[52] Diet: Primarily prey on deer, as well as smaller mammals such as feral pigs, raccoons and armadillos[52]	LC  Unknown [52]

Leopard cat lineage

Genus Otocolobus (Brandt, 1841) – one species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Pallas's cat	O. manul Pallas, 1776 Two subspecies O. m. manul O. m. nigripectus	Central Asia	Size: 46–65 cm (18–26 in) long, 21–31 cm (8–12 in) tail[53] Habitat: Rocky areas, grassland, shrubland, and desert[54] Diet: Preys primarily on small mammals, especially pikas, as well as rodents and birds[54]	NT  15,000 [54]

Genus Prionailurus (Severtzov, 1858) – five species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Fishing cat	P. viverrinus Bennett, 1833 Two subspecies P. v. viverrinus P. v. rhizophoreus	South and Southeast Asia	Size: 65–85 cm (26–33 in) long, 25–30 cm (10–12 in) tail[55] Habitat: Inland wetlands, shrubland, grassland, and forest[56] Diet: Primarily preys on rodents, birds and fish[56]	VU  Unknown [56]
Flat-headed cat	P. planiceps Vigors & Horsfield, 1827	The Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and Sumatra	Size: 45–52 cm (18–20 in) long, 13–17 cm (5–7 in) tail[57] Habitat: Inland wetlands and forest[58] Diet: Preys primarily on fish, as well as birds and small rodents[58]	EN  2,500 [58]
Leopard cat	P. bengalensis Kerr, 1792 Two subspecies P. b. bengalensis P. b. euptilura	Eastern Asia	Size: 45–65 cm (18–26 in) long, 20–30 cm (8–12 in) tail[59] Habitat: Grassland, inland wetlands, shrubland, and forest[60] Diet: Primarily preys on rodents, particularly murids, as well as other small mammals, eels, and fish[60]	LC  Unknown [60]
Rusty-spotted cat	P. rubiginosus Saint-Hilaire, 1834 Three subspecies P. r. koladivius P. r. phillipsi P. r. rubiginosus	India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal	Size: 35–48 cm (14–19 in) long, 20–25 cm (8–10 in) tail[61] Habitat: Desert, savanna, grassland, shrubland, and forest[62] Diet: Primarily preys on rodents[62]	NT  Unknown [62]
Sunda leopard cat	P. javanensis Desmarest, 1816 Two subspecies P. j. javanensis P. j. sumatranus	Sundaland islands of Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines	Size: 45–65 cm (18–26 in) long, 20–30 cm (8–12 in) tail[59] Habitat: Forest[63] Diet: Primarily feeds on rodents, as well as amphibians, lizards, and birds[63][64]	NE  Unknown

Domestic cat lineage

Genus Felis (Linnaeus, 1758) – seven species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
African wildcat	F. lybica Forster, 1780 Three subspecies F. l. cafra (Southern African wildcat) F. l. lybica F. l. ornata (Asiatic wildcat)	Africa, West and Central Asia, northern India, and western China	Size: 45–80 cm (18–31 in) long, 30 cm (12 in) tail[65] Habitat: Forest, desert, shrubland, savanna, and grassland[66] Diet: Preys on rodents and rabbits, and to a lesser extent birds and other small animals[66]	LC  Unknown [66]
Black-footed cat	F. nigripes Burchell, 1824	Southern Africa	Size: 37–52 cm (15–20 in) long, 14–20 cm (6–8 in) tail[67] Habitat: Savanna, grassland, and desert[68] Diet: Primarily preys on small mammals and birds[68]	VU  9,700 [68]
Chinese mountain cat	F. bieti Milne-Edwards, 1892	Northwest China	Size: 60–85 cm (24–33 in) long, 29–35 cm (11–14 in) tail[69] Habitat: Grassland and forest[70] Diet: Unknown[70]	VU  10,000 [70]
Domestic cat	F. catus Linnaeus, 1758	Worldwide	Size: 46 cm (18 in) long, 30 cm (12 in) tail[71] Habitat: Domesticated; feral cats have a cosmopolitan distribution in forests, grasslands, tundra, coastal areas, agricultural land, scrublands, urban areas, and wetlands[72] Diet: Preys primarily on birds and small mammals in the wild[72]	NE  Over 500 million[73]
European wildcat	F. silvestris Schreber, 1777 Two subspecies F. s. silvestris F. s. caucasica (Caucasian wildcat)	Spain, Scotland, the Balkans, and Central Europe	Size: 45–80 cm (18–31 in) long, 30 cm (12 in) tail[74] Habitat: Shrubland and forest [75] Diet: Preys on rodents and rabbits, and to a lesser extent birds[75]	LC  Unknown [75]
Jungle cat	F. chaus Schreber, 1777 Three subspecies F. c. affinis F. c. chaus F. c. fulvidina	India and parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia	Size: 58–76 cm (23–30 in) long, 21–27 cm (8–11 in) tail[76] Habitat: Forest, inland wetlands, desert, grassland, shrubland, and savanna[77] Diet: Preys primarily on small mammals and rodents, as well as birds and other small animals[77]	LC  Unknown [77]
Sand cat	F. margarita Loche, 1858 Two subspecies F. m. margarita F. m. thinobia	Scattered areas in Western Africa, Saudi Arabia, and near the Caspian Sea	Size: 39–52 cm (15–20 in) long, 22–31 cm (9–12 in) tail[78] Habitat: Desert[79] Diet: Preys primarily on small rodents, as well as small birds and lizards[79]	LC  Unknown [79]

Subfamily Pantherinae

Panthera lineage

Genus Neofelis (Gray, 1867) – two species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Clouded leopard	N. nebulosa Griffith, 1821	Pockets of China and Southeast Asia	Size: 69–108 cm (27–43 in) long, 61–91 cm (24–36 in) tail[80] Habitat: Forest and shrubland[81] Diet: Preys primarily on medium-sized and small mammals on the ground and in trees, as well as birds[81]	VU  3,700-5,600 [81]
Sunda clouded leopard	N. diardi Cuvier, 1823 Two subspecies N. d. borneensis (Bornean clouded leopard) N. d. diardi (Sumatran clouded leopard)	Parts of Sumatra and Borneo	Size: 69–108 cm (27–43 in) long, 61–91 cm (24–36 in) tail[82] Habitat: Forest[83] Diet: Preys primarily on medium-sized and small mammals[83]	VU  4,500 [83]

Genus Panthera (Oken, 1816) – five species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population[lower-alpha 1]
Jaguar	P. onca Linnaeus, 1758	Large swathes of South and Latin America, and Arizona in the United States	Size: 110–170 cm (43–67 in) long, 44–80 cm (17–31 in) tail[84] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, inland wetlands, savanna, and grassland[85] Diet: Preys on a variety of mammals, reptiles and birds, preferring ungulates[85]	NT  Unknown [85]
Leopard	P. pardus Linnaeus, 1758 Eight subspecies P. p. delacouri (Indochinese leopard) P. p. fusca (Indian leopard) P. p. kotiya (Sri Lankan leopard) P. p. melas (Javan leopard) P. p. nimr (Arabian leopard) P. p. orientalis (Amur leopard) P. p. pardus (African leopard) P. p. tulliana (Persian leopard / Anatolian leopard)	Much of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, the Caucasus in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Siberia	Size: 91–191 cm (36–75 in) long, 51–101 cm (20–40 in) tail[86] Habitat: Forest, desert, rocky areas, grassland, savanna, and shrubland[87] Diet: Primarily preys on ungulates, as well as other mammals, insects, reptiles, and birds[87]	VU  Unknown [87]
Lion	P. leo Linnaeus, 1758 Two subspecies P. l. leo P. l. melanochaita	Sub-Saharan Africa and India	Size: 137–250 cm (54–98 in) long, 60–100 cm (24–39 in) tail[88] Habitat: Forest, grassland, shrubland, savanna, and desert[89] Diet: Primarily preys on ungulates such as antelopes, zebra, and wildebeest, as well as other small to large mammals[89]	VU  23,000–39,000 [89]
Snow leopard	P. uncia Schreber, 1775	Himalayas reaching north to Mongolia	Size: 90–120 cm (35–47 in) long, 80–100 cm (31–39 in) tail[90] Habitat: Shrubland, rocky areas, forest, and grassland[91] Diet: Primarily preys on caprids such as sheep and goats, as well as small mammals and birds[91]	VU  2,700–3,400 [91]
Tiger	P. tigris Linnaeus, 1758 Two subspecies P. t. sondaica (Sunda Island tiger) P. t. tigris (Mainland Asian tiger)	Scattered sections of Southeast Asia, Indian subcontinent, and Siberia	Size: 150–230 cm (59–91 in) long, 90–110 cm (35–43 in) tail[92] Habitat: Shrubland, forest, and grassland[93] Diet: Primarily preys on deer and wild pigs, as well as a wide variety of other animals[93]	EN  2,600–3,900 [93]

Notes

References

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