Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
Chandra was born on 9/24/95. Her name means "moonlike" in Sanskrit. (Click for larger photo)		In the rain forests of tropical Asia, the clouded leopard hunts deer, monkeys and pigs, killing them with its long, sharp canine teeth. Distinct from the other cat families, the clouded leopard forms its own genus, bridging between the smaller and larger cats. They average about six feet in length and weigh between 35 and 50 pounds. Excellent climbing ability allows them to climb trees, jump from branch to branch, and surprise their prey by jumping down on them from an overhead branch. The clouded leopard is threatened by the destruction of its rain forest habitat and by hunting for its fur, which can be worth as much as $2000 for a single skin.

Ocelot (Leopardis pardalis)
Chimane, female, was born in March of 1997. (Click for larger photo)		The beauty of the Ocelot's coat makes it the best known small cat of the Americas. It also makes it one of the most threatened. Ocelots inhabit brushy and forested regions from Texas well into South America. They are agile climbers and leapers, hunting mostly at night for small prey such as opossums, mice, rats and rabbits. The Ocelot reaches as weight of 15 to 35 pounds.

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)
(Click for larger photo) Chhinsu was born on 5/15/90. She is named after a village in her native Nepal. (Click for larger photo)		The least known of all the big cats, the snow leopard lives high in the mountains of central Asia. These solitary cats prowl craggy mountain slopes just below the tree line, relying on their heavy coat to protect them from the severe Himalayan winters. The average male is 4 to 5 feet in length, with a tail as long as 3 feet. Snow leopards hunt in the mornings and evenings, but are active all day. They hunt animals varied in size from small mice to large sheep that may take them a week to eat. Snow leopards are uncommon and rarely seen in their extreme habitats. Even so, they are hunted to satisfy illegal demand for their pelts which demand a high price on the international black market. (Click for larger photo) Ashakiran was born on 6/6/01. Her name means "ray of hope." (Click for larger photo)

Canada Lynx (Lynx canadiensis)
Denali was born on 5/4/92. He is named after Alaska's Mt. Denali, meaning "the high place." (Click for larger photo)		The Canada lynx is found throughout Canada and in the northernmost regions of the United States. They have long legs, a short body and huge "snowshoe" feet to help them walk in the snow. Their most recognizable feature is the pointed tufts of hair at the tops of their ears. The lynx has a reputation as a shy, retiring creature that avoids humans at all costs. This is not surprising, as it is still legal to hunt the lynx for its fur. The Canada lynx exists almost entirely on the snowshoe hare, so their populations fluctuate markedly with that of their prey species. They are the only large predator evolved to move through the snow, so they have very little competition. That's a good thing for them because they're very slow for a cat!

Cougar (Felis concolor)
Lakotah was born on 4/19/92. She is named after a Native American tribe. (Click for larger photo) Shoshone was born on 4/25/04. She is named after a Native American tribe. (Click for larger photo)		The cougar, or mountain lion, is the largest of the purring cats. Once common throughout North America, its habitat has been reduced to a restricted range west of the rocky mountains with a small remnant population in Florida. The mountain lion ranges in size from six to nine feet from nose to tail with weights between 75 and 110 pounds for females and between 100 and 200 pounds for males. The mountain lion stalks its prey in its favored habitat of rugged terrain with thick cover of forest or brush. Adult mountain lions live within territories of between 25 and 300 square miles which they mark with scrapes of earth, leaves and urine. Males are solitary, while females are often accompanied by their kittens.

Caracal (Felis caracal)
Mara was born on 9/3/91. She is named after the Mara river in the Kenyan Savanna. (Click for larger photo)		The caracal, or desert lynx, is a creature of the wide-open African savanna which also frequents scattered woodlands. They weigh between 20 and 40 pounds and are between 24 and 30 inches long, excluding the tail. They range across the African savanna belt and as far as the Middle East and sand dune regions of southern Iran. In India, where caracals once sat at the feet of princes, only scant numbers remain. Caracals are swift, powerful cats which can kill prey up to twice their body size, such as the 70-pound reedbuck. They also often feed on small prey, which they kill with repeated whackings with their deadly paws. The caracal is thought to be the fastest of the small cats.

Serval (Felis serval)
Nakuru was born on 3/22/96. He is named after Lake Nakuru in Kenya. (Click for larger photo)		The serval is a medium-sized spotted cat found throughout Africa north and south of the Sahara desert. They weigh between 17 and 40 pounds and are 2-1/2 to 3 feet long excluding the tail. They live in all habitats, but prefer moist savanna habitats, where they use their huge ears to pinpoint the rustlings of their rodent prey. The serval's long legs give it the ability to pounce through high grass and give its surprised prey formidable blows with its front feet. Servals have their own predators including leopards, lions, jackals and man. It is still being hunted for its skin, 28 of which are used in making just one fur coat.

Siberian Lynx (Lynx lynx)
Oksana, female, was born on 5/8/94. (Click for larger photo)		The Siberian lynx is nearly twice as large as its relative, the Canada lynx, with females weighing up to 50 pounds and males weighing up to 84 pounds. They live in Scandinavia and throughout the northern reaches of Russia. They prefer a forested habitat of dense undergrowth and cover. Being large cats, they can go after game as large as deer, although they also eat mice, rabbits, birds and other small animals. Siberian Lynxes are solitary animals which only come together to mate. They are still legally hunted for their beautiful spotted furs. (The hunting of all other spotted cats was banned in 1975.)

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
Kamau, male, was born on 6/17/00. Kamau means quiet warrior in Kikuyu. (Click for larger photo) Kibibi, female, was born on 11/11/02. Kibibi means "little lady" in Swahili. (Click for larger photo)		The cheetah has a slender, long-legged body built for speed. The fastest of all land animals, cheetahs can run up to 70 miles per hour in pursuit of their prey. A cheetah's maximum stride length is around twenty-two feet, with almost half of that distance traveled fully airborne! The cheetah uses vast amounts of energy chasing its prey and is susceptible to having its meal stolen by animals such as the leopard and hyena as it is not a good fighter. Once found throughout Africa and Asia, the cheetah has been sharply reduced through hunting and habitat destruction to sub-saharan Africa with a small population in Iran. Only around 12,000 cheetahs are left in all of Africa, and another 200 left in Iran. Cheetahs have been around for at least three million years, before any of the other cats. Many people are working hard to see that they don't disappear altogether.

King Cheetah
Kgosi, male, was born on 5/25/99. Kgosi means king or headsman in the language of Botswana. (Click for larger photo)		The King cheetah differs distinctly from the normal spotted cheetah in that its spots have fused to form an attractive pattern. Black stripes (usually three) run down the length of its back, and the spots have merged into large blotches on an otherwise light-gold coat. The King cheetah's unique pattern is due wholly to a recessive gene. Because this gene is recessive, or hidden, the offspring must receive it from both parents in order to be King cheetahs. Other specific differences are: the King cheetah's hair is longer and silkier, the tail is striped and ringed, and the mane is slightly longer. Between 1926 and 1975 there were only six confirmed sightings of King cheetahs in the wild. These occurred in remote areas of Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. World population is estimated at under 30 animals.

African Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Usiku, male, was born on 4/5/93. Usiku means "midnight" in the Ngoni language of Malawi. (Click for larger photo)		The leopard is found throughout sub-saharan Africa and southern Asia. It is the most adaptable and widely distributed of all the big cats. They have beautiful spotted coats -- even black leopards (also called black panthers) have spots, although they are difficult to see. The black leopard is the same species as the normal golden-colored leopard, differing only in the gene for melanism, or black coloration. Leopards hunt alone at night, stalking their prey until it is close enough to pounce. While they mostly hunt small animals such as monkeys, birds, etc., they can and do kill prey as large as antelope and young zebras. They are known to hide their kill by dragging it up into a tree to prevent it from being "stolen" by other animals such as lions. The leopard is still illegally hunted for its beautiful skin, although its wide range and adaptability has kept the world number of leopards over an estimated 100,000. Umfazi, female, was born on 10/11/95. Umfazi means "woman" in the Xhosa language. (Click for larger photo)

Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
Zuni, male, was born on 4/25/95. (Click for larger photo)		The bobcat is native only to North America and is at home in many habitats from Florida to southern Canada. It has a reputation as a fierce fighter and a rowdy, aggressive animal, having evolved among the competition of wolves, coyotes and bears. Experts estimate that between 700,000 and 1.5 million bobcats range through the Untied States alone. It is still legal to hunt the bobcat in most states, and this seems to have little effect on their population due to their adaptability.