Amazing Facts About Big Cats: Lifespan, Size, Roaring, and More

< BIG CAT Species 1:  Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)2: Cougar (Puma concolor)3: Jaguar (Panthera onca)4:Leopard (Panthera pardus)5:Lion (Panthera leo)6:Snow leopard (Panthera uncia)7:Tiger (Panthera tigris)Big cats lifespanAverage lifespanSpecies	In the wild	In captivityTiger Panthera tigris	8 to 10 years	15 to 20 yearsSnow leopard Panthera uncia	15 to 18 years	15 to 21 yearsLion Panthera leo	10 to 16 years	20 to 25 years        FACT ABOUT BIG CAT The range of weights exhibited by the species is large. At the bottom, adult snow leopards usually   weight 22 to 55 kg (49 to 121 lb), with an exceptional specimen reaching 75 kglb)    Male and female lions typically weigh 150–250 kg (330–550 lb) and 110–182 kg (243–401 lb) respectively,[15][16] and male and female tigers 100–306 kg (220–675 pounds) and 75–167 kg (165–368 lb) respectively.[17] Exceptionally heavy male lions and tigers have been recorded to exceed 306 kg (675 pounds) in the wilderness,[18][19] and weigh around 1,000 pounds (450 kg) in captivity.[18][20]     The liger, a hybrid of a lion and tiger, can grow to be much larger than its parent species. In particular, a liger called 'Nook' is reported to have weighed over 550 kg (1,210 lb).[21][22]                                                                                                                                               Tiger numbers are on the rise  After a century of decline, overall wild tiger numbers are on the rise. Around 3,900 tigers remain in the wild, but much more work is needed to protect this species if we are to secure its future in the wild. In some areas, including much of Southeast Asia, tigers are still in crisis and still declining in number.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 African lions habitat has decrease by over 90% African lions have been reduced to living on only 8% of the land they once occupied. It’s meant that some lion populations have become small and isolated affecting their ability to mix and breed, and their natural prey are being reduced.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Snow leopard can use their tails like a scarf Snow leopards have a long tail that provides balance and agility. They also wrap it around themselves when they rest for protection from the cold.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Amur leopards can run up to 37 miles per hour Similar to other leopards, the Amur leopard can run at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour. This incredible animal has been reported to leap more than 19 feet horizontally and up to 10 feet vertically.                                                                                                                                                           Jaguars don't mind water Jaguars often live near water and are good swimmers. In fact, a jaguar’s ultra-strong jaws and teeth can bite through a crocodile skull or turtle shell, but they’ll prey on almost anything they come across – including deer, armadillos, monkeys and lizards.Roaring	The ability to roar comes from an elongated and specially adapted larynx and hyoid apparatus.[9] The larynx is attached to the hyoid bone that is hanging from a sequence of bones. This sequence of bones the hyoid hangs from are tympanohyal, stylohyal, epihyal, and ceratohyal; these are located in the mandible and skull.[10] In the larynx there are vocal folds that produce the structure needed to stretch the ligament to a length that creates the roar effect. This tissue is made of a thick collagen and elastic fiber that becomes denser as it approaches the epithelial mucosal lining.[11] When this large pad folds it creates a low natural frequency, causing the cartilage walls of the larynx to vibrate. When it begins to vibrate the sound moves from a high to low air resistance which makes the roaring.The lion's larynx is longest, giving it the most robust roar. The roar in good conditions can be heard 8 or even 10 km away.[12] All five extant members of the genus Panthera contain this elongated hyoid but owing to differences in the larynx the snow leopard cannot roar. Unlike the roaring cats in their family, the snow leopard is distinguished by the lack of a large pad of fibro-elastic tissue that allows for a large vocal fold.>