Top Species of Cat Family in Indian Subcontinent

The big cat species are the world’s apex predators, with differences in length and color. Big cats are found all over the planet, and every species is unique, from the elusive snow leopards that stalk wild sheep in the mountains of Afghanistan to the lions that face off against wildebeest in sub-Saharan Africa. There are some of the top wild species of cat family which are ruling the forests since thousand of years. There are many strong contenders for the large cat crown, however ferocious felines stand head and shoulders above the rest. Top Species of Cat Family in Indian Subcontinent.

Here are the Top Species of Cat Family in Indian Subcontinent:

Asiatic Lions

Lions are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. It is a population of Panthera leo that today survives in the wild only in India. With the only country in the world to have Asiatic Lions in their natural habitat, India is the proud host of this Big Cat Species. 

The Forest of GIR is the only remaining habitat of this wonderful creature and it becomes not have been possible without the help of local humans and forest officials that GIR has now more than 500 Asiatic lions as compared to only 18 Lions in 1893.

 They are the best social cats and stay in companies referred to as pride. Big lions may actually have an extended frame period than the largest tigers as much as 98 inches for lions compared to the tiger’s ninety inches.

Male lions are larger than females and feature luxurious hairy manes.  The female, or lioness, is smaller, with a body period of 1.5 metres, a shoulder height of 0.9–1.1 metres, and a weight of 120–180 kg.

 The lion’s coat is short and varies in colour from buff yellow, orange-brown, or silvery grey to darkish brown, with a tuft at the tail tip this is generally darker than the relaxation of the coat. Lions are recognized to take elephants and giraffes, but best if the person is younger or mainly sick. Undoubtedly Asiatic lions are the top leading species of cat family in Indian subcontinent.

Black Panther

Black panther are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. The melanistic color variant of the leopard Panthera pardus and the jaguar Panthera onca. It is one of the 5 extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the cat family, Felidae. The Felidae family has divided into subfamilies: the pantherine cats and the felines.

 The pantherine cats include tigers, lions, black jaguars, and black leopards. Its populations may be found in lots of countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, India Somalia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Angola etc. Technically, Black Panther is the Leopard only, but due to a rare mutation called Melanism, they flip completely Black and are known as Melanistic Leopard Black Panther, or “The Ghost of the Forest”. 

They have black fur, however, their spots are hard to see because the fur is so thick. The Panthers stay in Africa and Asia. They are very good swimmers and climbers. They also are very good at hunting. 

They can kill animal’s lots larger than themselves. Panthers are sadly endangered because people kill them for their fur. They are also killed for food in some parts of the world. However, panthers are protected by law in some countries. But due to its mysterious nature and being powerful it is one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent.

Snow Leopard

Snow leopards are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. The snow leopard Panthera unci, in the family Felidae. It also called the ounce, is a felid in the genus Panthera native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. They are best elusive cats that live in the mountains of significant Asia, consisting of Afghanistan and China. They can weigh as much as one hundred twenty pounds.

 Its gentle coat, together with a dense insulating undercoat and a thick outercoat of hairs about 5 cm long, is faded greyish with dark rosettes and a darkish streak alongside the spine. The underparts, on which the fur is maybe 10 cm lengthy, are uniformly whitish. The snow leopard attains a top length of about 2.1 metres, consisting of a 0.9-metre- long tail.

 The snow leopard shows several variations in residing in a cold, mountainous environment. Its small rounded ears assist to minimize heat loss. Snow leopards opt to hunt wild sheep, along with Bharal, and other cliff-dwelling species. With their fierce nature snow leopards are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent.

Asian Golden Cat

The Asian golden cats are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. It is from the family felidae is a medium-sized wild cat local to the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China. It is likewise regarded as a ‘Fire Cat’ because of the presence of spots and stripes on its body. 

This, sometimes, leads them to be misidentified as young leopards. During a observation  held in Arunachal Pradesh on Golden cats, it was observed in digital cams that their coat might also additionally range in colors like cinnamon, golden, gray, and melanistic.

 Even though they weigh eight to fifteen kg, they may be capable of hunting down huge prey like sheep and goats. Needless to say, being very secretive, it’s miles a nocturnal forest dweller. These cats are purely carnivorous and opportunistic feeders. Golden cats are found in rocky regions as well as in forests, scrubs, and grasslands. Moreover they are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent.

Fishing Cat

Fishing cat, are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. It is the state animal of West Bengal, is likewise found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, at the foothills of the Himalayas in the Terai region, along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys, and in the Western Ghats. They weigh from five to sixteen kg. Similar to numerous other smaller feline members, it communicates via hisses, gruff growls, and very rarely a low, demanding meow. 

It is a camouflaged gray-brown with distinctive black spots and stripes. Six to eight black traces run from the cat’s forehead to its neck, breaking up into shorter bars and spots on its shoulders. As the name suggests, they primarily hunt for fish. They are known to prey on frogs, crustaceans, snakes, and birds, too. 

Being residents of wetland habitats, they are right swimmers and nocturnal by nature. The layered shape in their fur affords thermal insulation and acts as a barrier to water. These small cats are very aggressive. They inhabit wetlands, tidal creeks, marshy lands, and mangrove forests. Overall they are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent.

Royal Bengal Tiger

Royal Bengal Tiger are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. The Bengal tiger is a subspecies of tiger Pantheria tigris inhabiting the forests, and wetlands of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. 

There’s no question about it, tigers are the top species of cat family withinside the world. When it involves sheer mass, no different cat comes close. Big tigers top out at round 715 kilos within side the wild. That’s more than the weight of 4 grownup men. 

The Royal Bengal Tiger located in India and Bangladesh is also a continental Tiger. Some sources say that the common weight of the Bengal Tiger is extra than that of the Siberian Tiger. 

Tigers stay a solitary life and are very hardly ever visible in groups. There are best about 3000 left withinside the wild. Therefore it is necessary to take steps to conserve and protect the one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent.

Clouded Leopard

Clouded leopards are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. It belongs to the genus Neofelis within the subfamily Pantherinae of the Felidae cat family. They are smaller in stature than leopards and other big cats Clouded leopards can develop as much as 3.4 feet long and weigh up to 55 pounds, according to the San Diego Zoo. 

However, their population is fragmented and declining because of human activity such as deforestation and illegal hunting, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They consume a variety of prey such as slow loris and small deer. According to the genetic research clouded leopard are to be most closely related to the top large cat species. 

Marbled Cat

The marbled cat are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. It is a small wild cat native from the eastern Himalayas to Southeast Asia, in which it inhabits forests up to an elevation of 2,500 m. It is a rare Southeast Asian cat, family Felidae, frequently referred to as a miniature model of the unrelated clouded leopard. 

Marbled Cat is also listed as a near-endangered species. With spherical ears and a very long tail, this cat is similar in size to a domestic Cat. Its color varies from brownish-gray to ochreous brown above and greyish below. 

The flanks and lower back are strikingly marked with large, irregular dark-edged blotches, while the legs and underparts are patterned with black spots. However, it is believed to be nocturnal and more arboreal in its habits. Its diet most likely includes birds, squirrels, rats, and possibly lizards and frogs. Overall they are the top most large cat species in the Indian subcontinent. 

Pallas Cat

Pallas’s Cat is one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent.  This cat suits into the Felidae family and in particular the Otocolobus genus. Pallas’s Cat also known as manul, is distinguished from other cats by its greyish face, stout build, and lengthy hair with white tips giving it a frosted appearance. 

Unlike other cats, their pupils don’t contract in vertical slits, rather it becomes small dark circles. It has the densest and longest fur among the different cats which helps to insulate them against cold. They wrap their well-furred tail across the body like a warm muffs. 

They select rocky areas, crevices, caves, and mountain steppes even sheltering in abandoned dens of marmots and foxes. They are solitary cats and scent mark their territories of 2 to 4 km. They ambush and stalk their prey earlier than they capture it. Moreover they are the top most large cat species in the Indian subcontinent. 

LEOPARD

Leopards are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent. It is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the cat family, Felidae. They are stealthy and powerful spotted predators ranging through parts of Africa and Asia. They usually develop as much as 6.2 feet long, excluding their tails, which can add any other 3. 3 feet.

 They also can weigh as much as 165 pounds, according to the San Diego Zoo.  Leopards are from time to time attacked and killed by other large cats that see them as opposition for food, including lions in Africa and tigers in Asia. To keep away from this, leopards often hunt at different times and places than those other predators, according to ADW. 

Leopards usually eat medium-sized prey, along with small antelope and gazelles. Overall leopards are one of the top species of cat family in Indian subcontinent.

Conclusion

As for the conclusion these are some of the top species of biggest wild cats in the Indian subcontinent. They are some of the divine, powerful animals and are quite powerful has great body structures which help them to survive and prey.