felidae zoo.docx

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Felidae
Felidae
ZOOLOGY ASSIGNMENTCOURES CODE: ZOO 101 SUBMITTED TO: MA'AM MADIHA MEHMUD06-Dec-16AMNA AZEEM 26AMARA LIAQAT 29BS. (hons) ZOOLOGY SEMESTER-I SECTION (A)
ZOOLOGY ASSIGNMENT
COURES CODE: ZOO 101
SUBMITTED TO: MA'AM MADIHA MEHMUD
06-Dec-16
AMNA AZEEM 26
AMARA LIAQAT 29
BS. (hons) ZOOLOGY SEMESTER-I SECTION (A)



Contents:

Sr. no.


Topics

Page no.

Introduction to Felidae
3

Habitat
5

Physical description
5

Reproduction
9

Life span
10

Behavior
11

Communication and perception
13

Food Habits
15

Predation
16

Taxonomy
17

Subfamilies
17

Similar characters of all cats
30

Interesting information
31


Assignment: Principle in animals life-I
Topic: Felidae (Cat family)
1. Introduction:
Cats are typically furry, carnivorous mammals with owl like cute eyes and ears. They vary in size, shape, color and designs. The members of this family are built for hunting. They stalk, chase, and pounce on their prey. They have sharp canine teeth. Most species hunt at night in groups or may be solitarily. There are 37 species of cats in this family. [1]
Most of them have a long tail that makes up about a third of the animal's total length. The head is characterized by a short nose and round face, usually with short ears. Cat feet have sharp claws that are retractile. In most felids the male is larger than the female.
Most cats are patterned with spots, stripes or rosettes but some are uniform in color.
Cats are native to almost every region on Earth, with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. These carnivorous mammals lives in a wide variety of habitats, but they are typically woodland animals.
Cats are noted for purring when content and for snarling, howling, or spitting when in conflict with another of their kind. The so-called "big cats" especially the lion, often roar, growl or shriek. Usually, however, cats are silent.
Clawing behavior is for maybe the purpose of cleaning or sharpening the clawsMany cats use "clawing trees," upon which they leave the marks of their claws as they stand and drag their front feet downward with the claws extended.
Clawing behavior is for maybe the purpose of cleaning or sharpening the claws





The larger cats are strong, fierce, and extremely dangerous when hungry. They occasionally attack humans. Tigers and leopards are most noted as man-eaters, lions and jaguars can also be dangerous.
The fur of some cats is in great demand, especially fur with contrasting colors and patterns such as spots or stripes. Some rare cats are hunted and trapped illegally and are in danger of becoming extinct.
They can see in near darkness. Like most other mammals, cats have poorer color vision and a better sense of smell than humans.
Cats have high breading rate. Failure to control breeding of pet cats has resulted in large numbers of feral cats worldwide. [2]



2. Habitat:
Cats are found in all terrestrial habitats except treeless tundra and polar ice regions. Most species are habitat generalists and can be found in a wide range of environments. However, few have adapted to a limited range of habitats. For example, optimal habitat for sand cats (Felis margarita) consists of sandy and stony deserts. Domestic and feral cats (F. catus) are ubiquitous globally and are especially pervasive in urban and suburban areas.
Habitat Regions: temperate , tropical , terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: taiga ,desert or dune , savanna or grassland ,chaparral ,forest , rainforest , scrub forest , mountains
Wetlands: marsh, swamp , bog
Other Habitat Features: urban , suburban , agricultural , riparian

3. Physical description:
Dental description:
All felids bear a strong resemblance to one another. Felids have a short rostrum and tooth row, which increases bite force.
Loss or reduction of cheek teeth is particularly apparent in felids, which have a typical dental formula of 3/3, 1/1, 3/2, 1/1 = 30.
In most species, the upper premolar is significantly reduced and in Lynx, has been completely lost. Felids have well developed carnassials. Their cheek teeth are secodont and are specialized for shearing.
Felid canines tend to be long and conical and are ideal for puncturing prey tissues with minimal force. Besides having a short rostrum, felids also have large bullae that are divided by a septum; no alisphenoid canal, and paroccipital processes flattened against the bullae.


Claws description:
Felids also have a vestigial or absent baculum and retractable claws. Distal segments of digits in the relaxed position are pulled back and up into a sheath by an elastic segment, which prevents claws from becoming blunt. Cheetahs are the exception as they cannot retract their claws and, when attacking prey, they tend to run into them so that they fall. Cats have five toes on their forefeet and four on their hindfeet. They are digitigrade, and their metapodials are moderately long but never fused.



Body description:

Felids range in body mass from 2 kg in black-footed catsto 300 kg in tigers, and exhibit sexual dimorphism, with males being larger and more muscular than females.
In some species, such as lions (Panthera leo), males may also have ornamentation that is used to attract potential mates.
Throughout their range, felid coats are longest where temperatures tend to becoldest.




Color description:

Felids exhibit a wide range of colors, from black to orange to white, and many species have cryptically colored coats containing rosettes, spots, and stripes that help camouflage them while hunting for prey. While melanistic variants (solid black) are common in many species, completely white individuals tend to be rare. A great deal of color variation can occur within individual species and newborns tend to have different coloration than adults. For example, adult cougars (Puma concolor) rarely have spots while kittens almost always have spots. In general, the ventral surface of felids tends to be pale while the face, tail, and back of the ears often have black or white markings.

Adaptation description:

Felids have a number of morphological adaptations that have allowed them to become the most adept hunters in the order Carnivora. They have digitigrade posture that results in a rapid stride rate and powerful forelimbs that help them capture and retain large prey. Often, felids are cryptically colored, which helps camouflage them while hunting. In addition, most felids have large eyes and exceptional vision. In nocturnal species, the tapetum lucidum helps intensify limited light. Many species also have large semi-rotating ears. Finally, the felid tongue has a sandpaper-like texture due to posteriorly directed papillae on its dorsal surface, which are thought to help retain food in the mouth and remove tissue from the bones of prey.
Other physical features: endothermic , homoeothermic, bilateral symmetry
Sexual dimorphisms: male larger, ornamentation. [3]



4. Reproduction:
Felids are most often classified as polygynous but can exhibit polygynandrous behavior as well. Estrous lasts from 1 to 21 days and females may have multiple estrous cycles until they become pregnant.
Females advertise estrus to potential mates through vocalizations, scent marking, and restlessness. As with most polygynous species, males compete for access to mates via displays and fighting, and successful males court mates through vocalizations and direct physical contact. During courtship, successful males may also approach receptive females with their head lowered. While the act of copulation lasts less than a minute, multiple copulations can occur over a period of several days, which may help induce ovulation.
After several days, males may leave in order to find additional estrous females, in which case another male takes his place.
In felids, male territories often encompass those of multiple females and males mate with females that reside within his territory. Most nonspecific interactions occur during mating season or as a result of territorial disputes among rival males. Indirect interactions via scent markings or vocalizations help reduce the number of fatal interactions. [4]
Mating system: polygynous

Females can give birth to as many as 8 cubs at a time.
Felid cubs are born antiracial, as newborns are often blind and deaf, rendering them defenseless. Mothers often hide newborns in dens, rock crevices, or tree hollows until they are mobile. Cubs remain with their mother until they can hunt on their own.
Weaning begins at the introduction of solid food and ranges in length from 28 days (domestic cats) to 100 days (lions and tigers). Felids reach sexual maturity in less than a year for small cats and up to 2 years for large cats. Typically, cats do not produce their first litter until they have established a home range, which usually does not occur until they are 3 or 4 years of age. Although age of independence is highly variable, many species become independent around 18 months of age. Unlike most felids, lions are very social and females take turns nursing young born to other pride members while absent mothers are hunting for food.
Key reproductive features: interoperous, seasonal breading, viviparous.[5]

5. Life span:
Although many cats do not live beyond their first birthday, felid lifespan ranges from 15 to 30 years old. In the wild, juvenile deaths are normally due to predation. In captivity, however, juvenile deaths are often due to stillbirths, cannibalism, maternal neglect, hypothermia, and congenital disorder. Cannibalism is more common in big cats. They eat cubs of other lions. That's why lioness hides them in caves, tree trunks and in bushes [6]



6. Behavior:
With the exception of lions, which form prides, felids are solitary animals that only come together to mate. They tend to hunt at night and, although most are primarily nocturnal, activity levels peak during dusk and dawn.
Most cats are exceptional climbers and some species are skilled swimmers. When nonspecific meet, their tail posture, position of the ears, and exposure of teeth reveals their level of tolerance.
Scent marking, rubbing, and scratching trees are used to mark territorial boundaries and communicate dominance and fertility.
Most felids stalk, crouch, wait, and pounce while hunting prey. They avoid long chases typical of canids and are considered ambush predators. Small preys are killed with a specialized bite to the base of the skull, which severs the spinal cord. Large preys are typically killed by suffocation.
Prior to eating, some species drag carcass by the nape to a secluded location. Most small cats feed by crouching over their prey without using their paws, whereas large cats eat while lying down. Felids are instinctive hunters and, if given the opportunity, they will kill more prey than they can eat. [7]




7. Communication and Perception:
Felids have acute senses of smell, hearing, and sight.

Eye modification:

In addition to the tapetum lucidum, a layer of reflective tissue in the eye of many vertebrates, felids have a modified pupil that allows for excellent vision in a wide range of environments. The felid pupil consists of a vertical slit that expands in low light conditions and contracts in high light conditions.


Ear modifications:

Felids have relatively large pinnae that can rotate to allow for multidirectional hearing without rotating their head.


Claw modifications:

Well-developed vibrissae, which are located above the eyes, on the muzzle, and on the ventral surface of forepaws between the digits, play an important role in tactile sensory reception. Similar to other carnivores, felids have haptic receptors inside their digits that allow them to sense temperature, pressure, and other stimuli. [8]



Jacobson's organs:

Felids are solitary animals that scent mark territories with facial glands and urine. They also mark territorial boundaries by clawing tree trunks. Like many vertebrates, felids have a vomeronasal organ, or Jacobson's organ, that allows them to detect pheromones.
This olfactory sense organ is found at the base of the nasal cavity and plays an important role in nonspecific interactions, especially those related to reproduction. For example, after smelling the genital area or urine of a potential mate, males curl their upper lip toward their nostrils. Using the vomeronasal organ, this allows males to assess the mating condition and quality of potential mates. It is thought that input from the vomeronasal organ and the olfactory bulbs significantly contribute to mating activity.



Communicational Channels: visual, tactile, chemical.
Other Communication Modes: pheromones, scent marks.
Perception Channels: visual, tactile, acoustic, chemical.
8. Food Habits:
Morphologically, felids are considered the most specialized of all carnivores in the order Carnivora. They are at top of the food web in most ecosystems, as their diet consists almost entirely of animals.
Occasionally, felids ingest grass to help pass fur balls, a by-product of constant grooming. Some genera ingest fruit to help offset water requirements. Felids may eat the viscera (internal organs) of prey, thus consuming partially digested plant biomass.Although they typically hunt for large prey but when the opportunity arises large cats may eat carrion as well.
Small cats predominantly prey upon rodents and rabbits or hares. When available, small cats also feed upon reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, crustaceans, and arthropods. Some species cache food and may drag prey carcasses into nearby trees prior to feeding. Fishing cats and flat-headed cats are unique among felids, as they are especially adapted for preying upon fish and frogs.



Primary diet: carnivore.
Forage behavior: stores and caches food.

9. Predation:
Felids are typically apex predators (i.e., predators with no predators of their own), but young are vulnerable to predation until they are capable of defending themselves.
Many species are cryptically colored, which allows them to remain camouflaged while in their native habitat. Although not an act of predation, many large cats are intolerant of heterospecific felids. For example, lions readily kill leopards, which are known to kill cheetahs. During attempted pride takeovers, male lions commit infanticide as a way of inducing estrus in pride females and eliminating the offspring of rival males. About one quarter of lion cub deaths can be attributed to infanticide.
Anti predator adaptation: Cryptic. [8]



10.Taxonomy:
Kingdom – Animalia
Phylum – Chordata
Class – Mammalia
Order – Carnivora
Family – Felidae
Subfamily – Pantherinae and Felinea
11. Subfamilies: The felines, under the family Felidae, are divided into two subfamilies, Pantherinae and Felinea. Genetic research has classified the species into eight unique lineages, under which are a variety of genuses. [9] 

Pantherinae:
The Pantherinae subfamily is comprised of all the 'big cats', excluding the cheetah, that we are all familiar with as children. Divided into two genuses, Panthera and Neofelis, there are only seven species within the subfamily.

Description: This subfamily is thought to have split for the family Felidae and developed before the subfamily Felinea. The subfamily Pantherinae by itself is the first genetic lineage out of the eight. Despite the short list, it is just as diverse as the Felinea subfamily. The seven species and their subspecies are spread out throughout the globe, all well-adapted to the regions they reside in. [9]









Breeds:


Lion: Lions are thought to be the KING of Whole Jungle. They are famous hunters. They don't usually hunt humans but some records show general man eating incidence. They are bigest Patherineas


Leopards: leopards are notorious hunters. There speed and more flexible muscles give them best hunting ability.


Jaguar: they are more closely related to leopards. They are 3rd biggest Pantherineas.
Tigers: The tigeris the largest cat species, most recognisable for their pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside. They are 2nd biggest pantherineas.

Snow Leopard: It is listed as Endangered. They are very cute and mostly blue eyed.

Clouded Leopards: The clouded leopard is a wild cat found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China. It is listed as vulnerable.
Felinea:
A much larger subfamily than the Pantherinae subfamily, the Felinea subfamily can be divided into a total of nine genuses: Pardofelis, Caracal, Leopardus, Lynx, Puma, Acinonyx, Prionailurus, Otocolobus, and Felis. All cat species are medium-sized or smaller.
Description: It consists of the vast majority of the cat species we recognize like the cheetah, bobcat, and the domestic cat that holds a special spot in human society. However, there are also many unfamiliar species that people often don't recognize. The oncilla, fishing cat, jaguarundi, and pallas's cat are just to name a few. [9]



Breeds:
Oncilla: The oncilla, also known as the little spotted cat, tigrina, tigrillo, or tiger cat, is a small spotted cat native to montane and tropical rainforests of Central and South America.


Fishing cat: The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2016, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as Vulnerable.

Pallas cat: The Pallas's cat (Otocolobus manul), also called the manul, is a small wild cat with a broad but fragmented distribution in the grasslands and montane steppes of Central Asia. It is negatively affected by habitat degradation, prey base decline, and hunting, and has therefore been classified as Near Threatened by IUCN since 2002.





Domesticated cats: The domestic cat is a small, typically furry, carnivorous mammal. They are often called house cats when kept as indoor pets or simply cats when there is no need to distinguish them from other felids and felines.

Scientific name: Felis catus
Higher classification: Felis
Lifespan: 15 years (Domesticated)
Gestation period: 64 – 67 days
Height: 23 – 25 cm
Mass: 3.6 – 4.5 kg (Adult)

Persian cat: The Persian cat is a long-haired breed of cat characterized by its round face and short muzzle.

Scientific name: Felis catus
Lifespan: 15 years (Captivity)
Origin: Iran
Rank: Breed
Higher classification: Cat

Burmese cat: The Burmese is a breed of domestic cat, originating in Southeast Asia and developed in the United States and Britain.

Scientific name: Felis catus
Higher classification: Cat
Rank: Breed
Origin: Thailand, Myanmar (Burma)



Sphynx cat: The Sphynx is a hairless breed of cat developed through selective breeding starting in the 1960s, known for its lack of coat, though it's not truly hairless. The skin should have the texture of chamois, as it has fine hairs. Whiskers may be present, either whole or broken, or may be totally absent.

Scientific name: Felis catus
Origin: Canada
Higher classification: Cat
Rank: Breed

American Curl: The American Curl is a breed of cat characterized by its unusual ears, which curl back from the face toward the center of the back of the skull.

Scientific name: Felis catus
Origin: United States of America
Higher classification: Cat
Rank: Breed

Siberian Cat: The Siberian is a landrace variety of domestic cat, present in Russia for centuries, and more recently developed as a formal breed, with standards promulgated since the late 1980s. They vary from medium to medium-large in size.

Scientific name: Felis catus
Origin: Russia
Higher classification: Cat
Rank: Breed


Bobcat: The bobcat is a North American cat that appeared during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago. Containing 12 recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to central Mexico, including most of the continental United States.

Scientific name: Lynx rufus
Tropic level: Carnivorous Encyclopedia of Life
Rank: Species
Higher classification: Lynx
Length: 69 cm (Adult)



Jaguarundi: The jaguarundi or eyra cat is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. It has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2002. Its presence in Uruguay is uncertain.

Scientific name: Puma yagouaroundi
Higher classification: Pumas
Rank: Species

12. Similar characters of all cats:
All species in the Felidae family require meat in their diet to survive.
Felids are generally solitary, although there are a few exceptions. Most Felids live in forested environments resulting in similar characteristics, but they can be found in almost any environment like mountains or deserts. There are common physical characteristics which almost all Felids share. Some of them are given below. [3]

Behavior Similarities:
Despite size and environment differences, most felids share similar behavioral characteristics. Most felids prefer living and hunting on their own. Lions, of course, are an exception. Most felids also hunt at night so most are nocturnal. Many species in this family are excellent climbers and swimmers.
In terms of hunting, all felids are ambush predators. Unlike dogs and wolves, who chase and run down their prey, Felidae members hide and wait then pounce quickly on unsuspecting prey. Because hunting is an instinct in all members of this family, most of them do not just hunt when they are hungry and kill more animals than necessary to feed themselves.
In their separate environments, felids are apex predators meaning they are at the top of the food chain. However, large members of Felidae will eat other felid species. For example, lions will kill and eat leopards.

Sensory Similarities:
Because of their hunting similarities, all felids share physical characteristics that help them understand their environment. Felid eyes, for example, include a specialized slit in the pupil that can contract and expand to let in more or less light to allow cats to see well in both low and high light environments.
All felids have large ears relative to their head size. Those ears are multidirectional meaning they can move like antennae towards different sounds even while the cat's head remains still. Although small cats have lost the ability to make the roaring sound associated with lions and other large felids, the rest of their communication repertoire remains the same. Lions, tigers, panthers and other large cats can purr, growl and meow just like domestic cats.

Physical Similarities:
Many other physical characteristics shared by members of Felidae help with hunting. For example, felids walk using a digitigrade posture meaning they carry their weight on their toes instead of on the whole paw. This adaptation allows them to move quickly to grab and kill prey. With the exception of the cheetah and a couple of smaller cats, all felids have retractable claws on their paws. This trait allows felid claws to stay sharp.
Felids also have distinctive faces.
All members of Felidae have short snouts or muzzles that affect the placement of their teeth and allow them to have a greater bite force, another adaptation for successful hunting. The teeth are also specialized for both ripping apart and puncturing the flesh of their prey.
Another shared characteristic among felids is the sandpaper texture of their tongues; the roughness helps remove the prey's flesh from bone.
"Cats are very adaptable, and they adapted themselves to this new environment,"
13. Interesting information:
Have you ever noticed how your cat may begin grooming himself after you've petted or brushed him? That's because he wants to re-establish his own scent again. He'll also often self groom after returning from the outdoors, the veterinary clinic or after returning home from any other travel.
A common sign indicating that your cat isn't feeling well will be a lack of normal grooming. An unkempt coat is often a signal that kitty is either ill or in pain.
Another sign of potential illness or pain is when your cat excessively grooms. He may concentrate on a particular area of the body that's causing him the discomfort. For example, a cat with a urinary tract problem may excessively lick his genitals or abdomen. A cat in arthritic pain may excessively groom that particular spot, such as a paw or leg.
Going off to a hiding place may allow the cat to eat in peace without having other cats try to steal it away. If you've watched nature shows on television you've probably seen wild cats often take their catch off to a more hidden area. This instinct exists in domestic cats as well. Even your indoor cat has that same need to protect her "prey" from being stolen out from under her.
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References:
http://www.nhptv.org/wild/felidae.asp
https://www.britannica.com/animal/feline
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Felidae/
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/guide/geologictimescale.html.
http://www.earthlife.net/mammals/cats.html
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/explorations/tours/geotime/guide/geologictimescale.html.
http://www.cites.org/eng/resources/species.html.
http://www.iucnredlist.org/initiatives/mammals.
Vaughan, T., J. Ryan, N. Czaplewski. 2000. Mammalogy. Fourth Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Brooks/Cole-Thomson Learning.











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