The Most Interesting Facts about Big Cats

·    Do you know baby tigers have stripes that grow from black skin?   If I were bald black strips would still be seen on my pink skin.  A tigers stripes are like your fingerprints, every tigers stripes are different from another’s. 

·    Do you know big cats can gain as much as 1 pound a day between their first and second birthday?  Yes, that’s over 300 pounds in one year!

·    Do you know big cats like Lions, Tigers, Jaguar and Leopards have a bones in their throat that allow them to roar, but they can not purr?

·    Do you know a baby’s cry can be heard 1 mile away by its mother?  Babies cry very loud and mom hears very well.

·    Do you know there are only two black big cats in the world?  The Black Leopard and the Black Jaguar are the only two black big cats.  The word “panther” means cat.  A “Black Panther” is really a Black Leopard or Black Jaguar.

·    Do you know big cats stay with their mother for up to 2 years in the wild?  During this time they learn to survive on their own.  Most big cats in captivity can not live in the wild.  They have not been taught the skills to survive. 

·    Did you know all big cats have some kind of spot on the back of their ears?  It is thought as young cats follow their mothers they watch the mothers’ ear spots through high grass.  If the mothers’ ears lower, the spots disappear.  The young cat knows to be quiet.  There may be dinner ahead or possibly danger.  Because big cats can not speak to each other they have found other ways to communicate.

·     Did you know you can learn more about big cats on the CARE website?