Small cats

Small cats
Bengal cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis )
Systematics
Subclass : Higher mammals (Eutheria) Superordinate : Laurasiatheria Order : Predators (Carnivora) Subordination : Feline (Feliformia) Family : Cats (Felidae) Subfamily : Small cats
Scientific name
Felinae
Fischer , 1817

The small cats (Felinae) form a subfamily of cats (Felidae). The term “small cats” should not hide the fact that such large species as the puma are also included. The division of cats into the subfamilies of big cats and small cats is not based on body size, but on relationships.

A distinguishing feature between big cats and small cats is the structure of the hyoid bone . No type of small cat can roar, but some types of large cats (but not all) can. All cats can purr - but the big cats only when they exhale, the small cats when they inhale and exhale.

Systematics

In older systematics the cats were divided into three groups, besides the small cats these were the big cats (Pantherinae) and the cheetah standing apart (Acinonychinae). Molecular genetic studies have however shown that the cheetah most closely related to the species of pumas ( Puma and Jaguarundi is related) and therefore must be incorporated into the small cats.

The position of the marble cat , which was traditionally counted among the big cats, is also controversial. Whether the small cats represent a natural group ( monophylum ) in this expanded form is a matter of dispute (see Modern Cat Systematics ).

Cats	† Saber-toothed cats (Machairodontinae)     Big cats     Small cats

Small cats	Manul  ( Otocolobus manul )     Old cats ( Prionailurus )     Real cats ( Felis )     Cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus )     Pumas ( Puma )     Lynx ( Lynx )     Leopard cats ( leopardus )     Caracal     Serval ( Leptailurus serval )     Asiatic golden cats ( Catopuma )     Marble cat ( Pardofelis marmorata )

Relationships of cats according to O'Brien & Johnson 2008.

The genera and species recognized by the IUCN's Cat Specialist Group are listed below, as well as some additional species from the Leopardus genus , which only received the status of an independent species after the last revision of the cat classification by the IUCN's Cat Specialist Group .

• Genus Acinonyx
  • Cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus )
• Genus Caracal
  • Caracal ( Caracal caracal )
  • African golden cat ( Caracal aurata )
• Genus Asian golden cats ( Catopuma )
  • Borneo golden cat ( Catopuma badia )
  • Asiatic golden cat ( Catopuma temmincki )
• Genus Old World Wildcats / Real Cats ( Felis )
  • Gray cat ( Felis habeni )
  • Domestic cat ( Felis catus )
  • Pipe cat ( Felis chaus )
  • Felis lybica
  • Sand cat ( Felis margarita )
  • Black-footed cat ( Felis nigripes )
  • European wildcat ( Felis silvestris )
• Genus Pardelkatzen ( Leopardus )
  • Pantanal Pampas Cat ( Leopardus braccatus )
  • Colocolo ( Leopardus colocolo )
  • Eastern ocelot cat ( Leopardus emiliae )
  • Garlepp's Pampas Cat ( Leopardus garleppi )
  • Spotted cat ( Leopardus geoffroyi )
  • Chilean Forest Cat ( Leopardus guigna )
  • Southern tiger cat ( Leopardus guttulus )
  • Andean cat ( Leopardus jacobitus )
  • Muñoa pampas cat ( Leopardus munoai )
  • Southern Pampas Cat ( Leopardus pajeros )
  • Ocelot ( Leopardus pardalis )
  • Northern tiger cat ( Leopardus tigrinus )
  • Long-tailed cat ( Leopardus wiedii )
• Genus Leptailurus
  • Serval ( Leptailurus serval )
• Genus lynx ( Lynx )
  • Canadian lynx ( Lynx canadensis )
  • Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx )
  • Iberian Lynx ( Lynx pardinus )
  • Bobcat ( Lynx rufus )
• Genus Otocolobus
  • Manul ( Otocolobus manul )
• Genus Pardofelis
  • Marble cat ( Pardofelis marmorata )
• Genus old cats ( Prionailurus )
  • Bengal cat ( Prionailurus bengalensis )
  • Flat head cat ( Prionailurus planiceps )
  • Rust cat ( Prionailurus rubiginosus )
  • Sunda Cat ( Prionailurus javanensis )
  • Fish cat ( Prionailurus viverrinus )
• Genus Pumas ( Puma )
  • Puma ( Puma concolor )
  • Jaguarundi ( Puma yaguaroundi )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Stephen J. O'Brien, Warren E. Johnson: The New Pedigree of Cats. In: Spectrum of Science. 6/2008, pp. 54-61.
2. ↑ Kitchener AC, Breitenmoser-Würsten Ch., Eizirik E., Gentry A., Werdelin L., Wilting A., Yamaguchi N., Abramov AV, Christiansen P., Driscoll C., Duckworth JW, Johnson W., Luo S. .-J., Meijaard E., O'Donoghue P., Sanderson J., Seymour K., Bruford M., Groves C., Hoffmann M., Nowell K., Timmons Z. & Tobe S. 2017. A revised taxonomy of the Felidae. The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group. Cat News Special Issue 11, 80 pp. Pages 26–28.
3. ↑ Fabio Oliveira do Nascimento & Anderson Feijó: Taxonomic revision of The Tigrina Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775) species group (carnivora, felidae). Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia - Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Volume 57 (19): 231-264, 2017, ISSN  0031-1049 PDF
4. ↑ Fabio Oliveira do Nascimento, Jilong Cheng and Anderson Feijó (2020). Taxonomic revision of the pampas cat Leopardus colocola complex (Carnivora: Felidae): an integrative approach. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, XX, 1-37, doi: 10.1093 / zoolinnean / zlaa043

Web links

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