The world of big cats

Did you know that some cat species which are considered as the most savage animals on Earth such as lion, tiger, leopard live as families and hunt together and that they have very advanced visual and audial systems or that there is a reason that their furs have different patterns?

Like any other carnivorous animals, big cats that we cannot see around us very easily in our daily lives, eat their food without chewing but rather with cutting into small pieces, instead. They use their extremely sharp molar teeth that are able to mesh like scissors when shut down.  As these animals hunt to eat, they have very advanced eyesight and sense of hearing.

Advanced Senses

Cats have very advanced eyesight. Thanks to this feature, they can easily detect the location of their prey while hunting at night. There is a particular layer behind the retina called tapetum lucidum that helps the eye adapt to dim light. This particular cell layer receives the light coming to the eye and reflects it on retina by increasing it. Additionally, curves of the retina and lens are sharper as to increase the sensitivity of retina. Retina is consisted of cells called rods and cones. Rods are more sensitive to dim less than cones. And cats have a great amount of rods. Cats’ eyes are closer to each other in comparison to other species and this enhances their eyesight.
 

Cats can hear noises between frequencies ranging from 100 kHz to 200kHz. That means, they can hear even very low noises, such as the footsteps of a mouse. Their sensitive ears help them detect the exact location of its source, as well.

Though not very advanced, their sense of smell is very important for communication. Cats have a structure above their mouth called vomeronasal organ, this organ detects the pheromones, chemical messengers, in the air. With this organ, cats usually detect the smell of another cat of its own species and the urea-like chemicals released by the females alerting their readiness to mate.
 

Colored Furs and Special Whiskers

Cat furs have two important functions; one is that they protect the animal from environmental effects such as hot and cold, and the other is that they provide camouflage for the animal to hide itself from other animals. Not only cats living in cold regions but also ones living in deserts, have long furs to isolate the heat on the ground.
 

Whiskers, known as vibrissae, that are generally found on their faces and above their eyes are very sensitive. These responsive hairs enable them to find their way at dark or when they are not able to see well. By way of these hairs, they sense the vibrations on air. They sometimes use the hair on their feet to sense the vibrations on earth surface. Big cats have very flexible windpipes as they are mostly made of cartilages instead of bones. This helps them roar. All cats have very flexible spinal columns and they can bend in any direction. This helps their internal organs to be less damaged when they fall down.
 

Lions Live As Big Groups

Lions are known as the “most social of the big cats” as they live in social groups. This social group of theirs is called “pride”. A pride consists of about 30-40 lions, mostly females. That is to say, they live as big families. Unlike other social animals, there is no hierarchy among females. In daytime, lions sleep altogether and the preparations for hunting begin as the weather becomes cooler. Each lion approaches to the prey from a different angle. Females who are easily noticeable due to their lacking mane usually lead the hunt. Lions crawl to their preys until reaching to 20 meters of distance.  No lion hunts unless it is hungry and it does not hunt more than one animal at the same time. That is to say, these abstemious animals only hunt when it is necessary and in the amount needed.

Lions use leaving marks method for communication. They determine the borders of their land by leaving urea. This is an alert for other lions warning them about that there is another pride living here, ‘do not trespass!’  

World of Jaguars

Jaguar, the only big cat living in South Africa, is often confused with leopards but the easiest way to identify them is that they have a black dot right in the center of the clover shape in their furs and that they have shorter tails. Jaguars living in forest have darker furs. This provides them a better camouflage while hunting in dim forests where light glides in. Unlike other big cats, jaguars have no predators. There is no other animal which tries to hunt this powerful cat. They are very good swimmers as well as very good climbers. They are skilled fishers and they climb up to trees to eat the animals they hunt on land. They have a stronger jaw in comparison to other wild cats, and this enables them to eat its prey at a single bite. Females and males come together only for mating. 
 
Leopards Have Different Patterns on Their Furs

Leopards living in Africa and Southeast Asia are easily recognized from the particular pattern on their furs. However, this particular pattern differs for each leopard on earth. The color of their furs varies according the place they live. It varies from golden to yellow in plains, from yellow to cream in deserts, and in dark golden color in forestry. Black ones are known as Black Panther. Leopards have extremely strong trapezius muscles and thus they can carry preys that are 3 times of their own body weight. They eat their hunted preys on trees, like jaguars. They are usually alone but they own the land they live.

The Strongest Cat: Puma

Puma is known as one of the most aggressive cats. They can jump 12 meters away from where they are and they are expert on climbing trees. They can knock out another animal that is 8 or 9 times of their size and therefore they are accepted as the strongest cats of the world. Their eyes are blue when they were born, but later they turn into yellowish green. They cannot roar like other cat species do, though.

Tigers

Tigers living in Asia differs from the other big cats with horizontal dashed lines on their furs. Like the fingerprint of human beings, these patterns are unique in each tiger and they are placed on two sides of the animal. They hunt alone but they eat their prey along with their families. Lines on tiger’s furs provide camouflage to the animal as they look like shadows of the grass especially in meadows. Their tails work as a balancing factor when they run fast.

As you see, these miraculous systems in big cats that are known as the most savage animals of nature present the invalidity of the theory of evolution and also present evidence for a greater fact: A supreme Creator created the whole universe and every single animal acts by Our Creator Allah’s will. Every man having reason and conscience easily understands that these behaviors can only appear under the power and dominion of Allah, the Owner of all beings.
 

“And in the Creation of yourselves and the fact that animals are scattered (through the earth), are Signs for those of assured Faith.” (Surah Al-Jathiyya, 4)