Talk:Big cat

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[edit] Capitalization of article

Moved big cat to Big Cat since it's a proper noun, more or less, and leaves room for discussion of the so-called "big cats" in the uncapitalized version. -- JohnOwens 01:00 Mar 26, 2003 (UTC)

Actually, I'm pretty sure Big Cat is *not* a proper noun. Animal names, as a rule, are not proper nouns (with a few obvious exceptions like Grevy's zebra). Funnyhat 04:04, 30 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] roaring

members of genus Panthera can roar, the other big cats can not, aside from the cheetah. Lachatdelarue (talk) 15:30, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Clarity

I am a bit confused by the following.

"One area of distinction is that big cats can roar, but cannot purr whilst inhaling, only while exhaling. (The cheetah is an exception, being able to make both sounds.)"

Does this mean that big cats:

While exhaling can

  • Roar and purr
  • Roar only
  • Purr only

While inhaling can

  • Roar and purr
  • Roar only
  • Purr only


The addition of the cheetah statement only added to my confusion.

This statement at Panthera,

"Only these four cat species have the anatomical changes enabling them to roar, due to a modification of the shape of their hyoid bone."

noted the distinction (whatever it may be) as being unique to four species only, but this page includes several species that do not have that distinction. Perhaps there should be Medium cat for Servals, Ocelots etc.


I've clarified based on info in Purr (cats can purr or roar, but not both), Cheetah (Cheetah's cannot roar), Talk:Purr (inhale/exhale question), and Panthera --Sonelle 10:23, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
ALL cats can purr. Members of the genus Panthera are the only cats that can roar.
"Lions have been known to purr, contrary to popular belief. They only purr when exhaling, not while both inhaling and exhaling like house cats."[[1]]
Bluelion 01:46, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Wikijunior needs your help

There is a Wikijunior book on Big Cats, and we need some dedicated editors to whip it into shape. If anyone is interested in writing a children's nonfiction book, I encourage you to check out Wikijunior Big Cats. --LV (Dark Mark) 18:51, 3 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Big cats with little cats

Does anything peculiar happen if a big cat is placed in close proximity to a little one, such as a house cat? Does the little one become scared, do they get along, or anything else? --Impaciente 18:59, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

Most likely the big cat would kill it or completely ignore it with a third option of scare it away. dnlcaissie (UTC)

[edit] Dictions between big cats and small cats

Genetically there’s almost no difference between a big cat and small cat. In fact with out the fur it’s almost impossibly to tell one cat from another. So it’s only the living treats and the small genetic differences that can be used to distinguish a big cat from a small cat. Now most people would say that the ability to roar defines a big cat but only a lion can roar. Dnlcaissie....I think I wrote this:/

[edit] Are the clouded leopards big cats?

I just reorganized the article, and noticed a significant discrepancy. Are the two clouded leopard species truly considered big cats? The normal clouded leopard doesn't seem to weight more than 20 kg/50 lb or so, and even the new Bornean clouded leopard isn't much bigger. That's well below the threshold mentioned in the article, and within the medium-sized cat range. | Pat 17:49, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Here's the confusion: Big cats vs great cats. The clouded leopards are considered to be great cats even though they are not big. And the cougar is considered to be a lesser cat even thout it is big. RastaKins 22:10, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

There is no confusion. The clouded leopard is not a great cat because it cannot roar and it is not in the genus panthera. It is debateable as to whether or no it fits the description of a "big" cat, but I have seen it described as such in literature. I don't think lumping the clouded leopard in with the big cats should be a point of contention. --TaeKwonTimmy 21:56, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Panthera Lineage: Clouded Leopard, Lion, Tiger, Jaguar, Leopard and Snow Leopard....also Marbled cat. Also know as the "big cats"...snow leopords don't roar neither do tigers. The big cats can purr for short bursts.--dnlcaissie 21:56, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] removed dead link from article to wikijunior project

I removed

Wikibooks
Wikibooks' [[wikibooks:|]] has more about this subject:

from the article. It appears to be an error or dead link. Can anyone fix this?--Filll 15:27, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

It wasn't a dead link, the template parameters weren't filled out correctly. I fixed it. --192.193.245.16 (talk) 11:59, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Do Big Cats have Retracable Claws or not?

Normal everyday small cats have retractable claws but do big cats have them,i would like some to write an article about this please. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.146.192.32 (talk) 21:02, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

We do not do your homework for you. Read the existing articles. - UtherSRG (talk) 21:07, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Threats/Cats in Captivity

The "Threats" section states, "there are still an estimated 15,000 big cats kept captive in America." This was unclear at first as to whether it was the United States or the Americas, but checking the reference indicates that it's referring to the United States. I made this small change, but why is the United States the only country specified as banning their capture and keeping them in captivity? Is there someone who is knowledgeable of the threats expand on this section to include a global perspective? Kman543210 (talk) 03:22, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Cubs v. Kittens

This distinction is not a feature of big cats. It is a feature of the English language, and is not essential/substantial to the article's subject matter. Maybe it has a place in the article, but not in the lede. elpincha (talk) 16:13, 1 May 2008 (UTC)