Research work on the topic: “Physical parameters of a domestic cat.”

Indoor and outdoor “runners”

Cats are far from running marathons; they are sprinters by nature.

It is quite logical that cats who live on the street, or who often find themselves there, need good athletic shape. They hunt birds and mice, which are not so easy to catch if you are physically unprepared. And most importantly, they often have to escape from dogs, otherwise they won’t survive. Domestic “fluffies” generally live freely - they only remember hunting as a game, when the owners offer them to catch a toy mouse or a bow on a string. Their bowl is always full, so there is no need to get food for themselves, and in general, the owners take care of everything. And you have to save yourself only from the master’s slipper.

In any case, a cat cannot run at high speed for long. If she does this to escape, she usually climbs a tree or otherwise hides from danger. But, if there is no shelter, then the animal may begin to suffocate and even die, since its heart is not adapted to such stress.

Natural enemies of the liger

Ligers are the largest cats, but they do not live in their natural habitat. In theory, if ligers settled in any territory, they would quickly rise to the top of the food chain, and they would have no natural enemies. Ligers have a number of diseases (in addition to infertility in males) that can cause serious complications for a normal life.

Ligers are prone to mental disorders. The fact is that tigers and lions have different sign systems of communication. Because of this, ligers sometimes experience problems, as a result of which they cannot understand each other or their relatives. For example, tigers and lions have different warning signal systems, so ligers may see the peaceful calls of other cats as a threat.

This situation can even be observed in the relationship between a ligress and her cubs - she may not understand their sign system, inherited from the lion father, which is why she abandons the children and they are raised by zookeepers. Ligres are prone to depression due to incompatible lifestyles. They are both socially inclined and need privacy. Because of this, ligresses even become depressed. Male ligers do not exhibit this behavior - they love to be the center of attention.

Due to their weight, ligers experience enormous pressure on their paws and spine, which can lead to diseases of the bones and joints. It is also impossible to establish the life expectancy of ligers - they live up to 24 years, but scientists are sure that the animals die due to diseases, and not due to natural death.

The fastest cats

What helps the fastest cats run

Among purebred cats, the Egyptian Mau is considered the record holder for speed. He was lucky with the structure of his hind legs, which have leathery folds at the base. Due to them, while running, the step reserve and amplitude of movements increase, and therefore the speed increases.

The normal speed of cats (on average) is 13.5-13.8 km/h. If a cat moves at a leisurely trot, then it will barely overtake a walking person, and its speed will be about 8 km/h. Whereas the maximum speed of cats is 50 km/h.

The fastest cats in the world

Wild cats are fast and agile animals that are excellent hunters. Even a domestic cat can run at a speed of 40 km per hour. The pet will not be able to cover a long distance at this pace. He will be able to make a tiny leap. Wild cats have greater endurance, so they are able to run at high speed for much longer.

When measuring indicators, the distance and time it takes the animal to cover the distance are taken into account. There are many cats in nature that are capable of running with incredibly high agility.

Tiger – striped perfection

This is the largest wild cat in the world. In size, the tiger is second only to the bear. The weight of a tiger can reach 250 kg, height at the withers is up to 1.15 cm. The body length of an adult predator is more than 3 meters. The largest tiger was killed in the middle of the last century in India, its weight was 388 kg. Currently, only six subspecies remain, the habitat of which is concentrated in Asia.

A strong, muscular, elongated body, a more developed front part, a round head with a convex skull and a bright striped color - this is a brief portrait of a tiger. The most common color is red (of varying intensity) with black stripes, but there are also individuals with white and gold colors. Such unusual colors are associated with genetic disorders.

The tiger is a territorial animal and always hunts alone. The feeding territory of one animal is from 300 to 500 km. Tigers rarely quarrel with each other; if the amount of prey decreases, attacks on livestock and people begin. Possessing excellent night vision, the tiger prefers to hunt in the morning or evening. The tiger prefers to follow the tracks of its prey or wait for it in ambush, for example, near a pond. Unlike the lion, the tiger is very concerned about cleanliness; before going out to hunt, he always bathes or rolls out in the snow to fight off the smell that could scare off the prey.

Now, due to a decrease in the population, such cases occur extremely rarely, and when a tiger encounters a person, he prefers to retreat. But before, attacks by man-eating tigers were recorded more than once. The Bengal tigress is widely known and has killed more than 400 people. It was suggested that a tiger, having tasted human flesh, would continue to prefer this type of prey.

All tiger subspecies are classified as endangered and are listed in the Red Book. Tiger hunting territories are protected by the state. A breed of cat was developed that resembles a miniature tiger, called the Toyger.

Sixth place – Puma

The predator runs very quickly over short distances. The animal is capable of reaching speeds of up to 75 km/h. That is, a cougar can even catch up with a car that is not going too fast.

In the United States of America, the cougar is commonly called the “mountain lion.” The name is associated with the animal's habitat. The predator can be found not only in forests, but also in the mountains. Moreover, the puma is found even in the jungle and swamps.

Differs in large sizes. Together with the tail, the body reaches 2 meters in length. At the same time, the weight is not too large - from 50 to 100 kg. Much depends on gender and individual characteristics. Due to its well-developed muscles and light weight, the Puma is able to run quickly and hunt deftly.

What does a liger eat?

Photo: Liger cat
The liger eats a lot of meat, so the costs of keeping it in zoos are enormous. To maintain the genetic potential of a predator, ligers are regularly introduced to live prey so that the cats can hunt and learn the nuances of wild life. In general, a liger eats from 10 to 15 kg of meat, depending on its gender, age and size.

The following “dishes” are most often served to ligers:

• chickens, including live ones, which ligers kill on their own;
• rabbits, also sometimes live;
• processed beef meat, offal, heads and hooves with hard bones for ligers to wear down their teeth;
• eggs, in particular - white, crushed with shell;
• fat milk.

Ligers do not refuse raw fish and play with it with pleasure. Also, large cats are often offered watermelons: they play with them and, in the end, bite them. Plant food is included in the daily diet of ligers. They are given all kinds of vitamin mixtures to keep the big cats healthy. Such mixtures are especially important for babies, who need to strengthen the skeleton and prevent possible diseases.

There is always a lot of fresh growing grass in the liger's enclosure. Big cats often lie among tall grass and bite it - this indicates the need for vitamins in the body of a big cat. They are offered peaches, apricots, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and many other fruits and vegetables as natural vitamins.

Features of character and lifestyle

Photo: Hybrid liger
The character of ligers can be called versatile. These cats have inherited behavioral traits from both their lion father and tiger mother. From lions, ligers adopted a love for social groups. Lions have a very positive attitude towards all big cats. They easily get along with each other and fit into prides of lions. In relation to other cats, ligers are non-confrontational, love affection, and strive to be close to other relatives.

On the other hand, ligers have adopted from tigers the tendency to mark territory and defend it. The liger has a flock, which he perceives as family, but he also has his own corner, which belongs only to him. Female ligers are especially prone to this, just like tigresses do. Also, from tigers, ligers inherited a love of water and swimming. They willingly frolic in ponds, drag prey there, dive and simply lie in the water - lions have a dislike for water and even fear of bodies of water.

The liger is also similar to the tiger in that it can easily withstand low temperatures. Tigers are adapted to cold weather - their fur is known for its dense undercoat, which the tigress passed on to their children - the ligers. At the same time, ligers do not suffer from heat, since their fur provides competent thermoregulation. In severe frosts, ligers happily roll around in the snow, and in hot weather they lie in the water.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Liger cubs
Male ligers are absolutely sterile, but females have a chance of having offspring, although it is very low

This does not negate the fact that female ligers have a period of estrus, during which they show increased attention to males of all species: ligers, tigers and lions. A ligress can only have offspring from lions. In search of a partner, a female liger is even able to climb over the high fence separating her from the enclosure with other large cats.

Regardless of whether she ends up with a tiger or a lion, the female’s behavior will be the same.

A ligress in heat marks her territory, letting the males know that she is ready to mate. In zoo conditions, keepers do not allow any exhibition tournaments between male tigers or lions, so the female, as a rule, does not choose a partner for herself - he is simply released into her enclosure. Big cats have very beautiful foreplay. They affectionately rub their heads against each other, lie next to each other for a long time and lick each other's fur. For lions, such foreplay is faster, but for tigers it can last more than a day. After mating, the female and male separate.

Pregnancy lasts about 110 days. As a result, the female gives birth to one or two cubs, and most often these are the same infertile males. The descendants of a lion and a ligress are called liligers, and this is an extremely rare case when the offspring are born alive and healthy. As a rule, cubs do not survive until three months. In theory, female liligers could have offspring with lions, but lions have a strong genetic potential, which is why the resulting offspring will not resemble ligers - they will be ordinary lion cubs. Often, female ligers do not have milk, which is why zookeepers feed their offspring.

Dune cat

Dune cats have very thick fur and strong, muscular legs. Even the pads are covered with fur to protect cats from the hot sand.

They live in hot, dry areas. These felines prefer to hunt at night. Dune cats have the ability to accelerate to 40 km/h. The main danger for them is from birds of prey and snakes (by the way, they can easily cope with some of them). The peculiarity of this cat is that it can easily do without water, receiving all the necessary fluid from food.

The lion is the only social feline

Photo: Neil Midlane/Panthera Male lions rarely take part in hunting, but they earn their right to kill by protecting the pride.

Photo: Nick Garbutt/Panthera All females in a pride care for their cubs, regardless of which one is the biological mother.

1. Members of a pride of lions show touching tenderness to each other on vacation, and during the hunt they act as a well-coordinated team to repel the prey from the herd.
2. If conditions are favorable and food is plentiful, female lions can remain in a pride for the rest of their lives. But the males, having reached sexual maturity, leave the family, forced out by the dominant tribesman. Such loners sometimes form “teenage gangs” and roam the savannah in the hope of creating their own pride, which they will protect from strangers.
3. The terrifying roar of a lion can be heard at a distance of five kilometers.
4. Lions and tigers are very close species, anatomically extremely similar to each other. By looking at their skeletons, only experts will be able to determine which is a lion and which is a tiger.
5. Since the 1950s, the lion population has declined by half, and the big cats are now gone from 80% of their historical range. According to the latest data, less than 30 thousand lions live in Africa today.

Egyptian Mau

The fastest representatives of domestic cats are considered to be the Egyptian Mau (“Mau” means cat). The maximum record of these miniature darlings is acceleration to 58 km/h (over short distances). All zoologists claim that if these animals had larger dimensions, they could well compete with the cheetah for the title of the fastest animal on the planet.

Oncilla (lat. Leopardus tigrinus)

One of the most poorly studied cats lives in the mountainous and misty evergreen forests of Central and South America. The name of this predator is translated as “miniature jaguar,” which is quite justified - in all its appearance, oncilla resemble a reduced-sized jaguar.

Oncilla. Photo: Anne-Marie Kalus

Oncillas are only slightly larger than their domestic relatives: an average weight of about 3 kg, body length 65 cm, tail - 30-40 cm. The main difference between the oncilla and other representatives of the genus of tiger cats (Leopardus) is its disproportionately large eyes and ears.

Beautiful soft ocher-colored fur with dark spots played a cruel joke on the animals. In the 1970s and 80s, tens of thousands of oncillas were exterminated as a result of poaching; in 1983 alone, border guards seized 84,000 skins. According to some estimates, over these 20-odd years, 95% of the small jaguar population was destroyed.

Today, any hunting of oncillas is prohibited, as is the sale of any products made from their skin, but the population is nevertheless in no hurry to recover; on the contrary, due to massive deforestation, it is only declining.

Small jaguar in the wild. Photo: Carlos Alfaro

A small jaguar can also be domesticated relatively easily, but in a “gust of passion” the wild nature of the animal can still take its toll - you need to play with the oncilla very carefully

Leopard

This wild beast can accelerate to 63 km/h. The leopard never hunts on the ground; it catches its prey while in the trees. After the predator has waited for the right moment, it attacks with a sharp jump and, if necessary, catches up with its prey.

Speed ​​is practically not important to them, despite the fact that the number on their “speedometer” is quite impressive - 60 km/h. When a leopard makes a jump, the tail serves as a rudder and helps make maneuvers. Having grabbed the prey, these predators, as a rule, drag it back to the tree and start eating there. They are able to adapt to any terrain. The patterns on a leopard's fur are individual and are never repeated in nature.

The tiger has also long been on the list of the fastest representatives among predatory cats. At short distances, it is capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 km/h. Just imagine that in pursuit of a victim they will be able to jump 5-6 meters in length (and in height, by the way, too).

But, even despite these physical abilities, not every tiger hunt is successful. These cats are very massive, their weight can increase up to 300 kg, and their body length (excluding the tail) can vary up to three meters. That is why, despite their physical dominance, they are significantly inferior to the cheetah in speed.

The puma (or mountain lion) consistently occupies sixth position in the world top of the fastest cats. These predators reach speeds of up to 75 km/h over short distances.

These large animals reach two meters in length (including tail). The weight of these cats reaches 100 kg. A well-developed muscular system and low weight contribute to the speed and agility of mountain lions. They can accelerate to 75 km/h.

Females are smaller in size than males. But, at the same time, they are not inferior to them in agility and speed.

Top 10 dangerous breeds

In addition to peaceful and friendly cat breeds, there are also those that are endowed with a willful and cocky disposition.
Such pets are poorly adapted to living together with people and, under certain circumstances, become very aggressive and unsafe. When enraged, these cats can cause no less harm than a poisonous spider or an angry dog. The list of the 10 most dangerous breeds includes:

• savannah;
• manul;
• Abyssinians;
• Siamese;
• Maine Coon;
• British;
• Siberian;
• Bengali;
• chausie;
• reed

Savannah

These large graceful animals are considered one of the most dangerous cats in the world. Although Savannahs can be tamed, there is always a risk that they will become aggressive.

The owners of these cats must always be on alert, because their graceful pets often perceive strangers as objects of hunting.

Manul

This wild feline is similar to a lynx and is completely untamed. Even a manul raised in captivity will avoid people. These aggressive and dangerous cats are not suitable for home keeping.

No matter how hard you try, it is impossible to teach wild Pallas’ cats commands and stop them from damaging their owner’s property.

Abyssinians

These sophisticated oriental beauties also belong to the category of dangerous cats. It turns out that representatives of the breed are very vindictive and immediately take revenge for insults inflicted on them. Without proper attention, Abyssinians become wild and aggressive.

Siamese

These cunning and dangerous cats are very aggressive and vindictive. They can harbor a grudge for a long time and take revenge at the most unexpected moment. Siamese cats do not like excessive attention and do not tolerate familiarity. It is not advisable to take representatives of the breed into families with children.

These cats pose a real danger to children who do not yet know how to properly handle a pet.

Maine Coon

These smart and flexible animals are endowed with a changeable disposition and can begin to take revenge even for a minor offense. Large and dangerous Maine Coon cats cannot stand loneliness and, due to their size, are capable of crippling a person.

British

This cute domestic cat is endowed with an independent and willful character. The proud and freedom-loving Briton has no love for strangers and prefers to distance himself from them. He can hardly tolerate being picked up or forced to play.

Siberian

This large and quite dangerous cat is wary of strangers and can only get along with someone who has a highly developed sense of self-esteem.

An independent and strong Siberian can be both affectionate and sensitive, and aggressive. To smooth out developed hunting instincts and avoid unwanted behavior, this cat must be trained from an early age.

Bengal

This impulsive and dangerous cat has highly developed hunting instincts. To prevent a Bengal kitten from becoming an aggressive monster, it is raised in a calm atmosphere.

An active and mobile animal does not like to be forcibly held in arms and does not tolerate being addressed in a raised voice. An angry Bengal cat can be unsafe and capable of causing serious damage.

Chausie

These powerful animals, more like a puma, also belong to the category of aggressive and unsafe breeds. Aggressive cats need to be dealt with constantly and dangerous games should not be played.

Chausies have developed hunting instincts, do not tolerate confined spaces and are not suitable for apartment living.

Reed

This aggressive and dangerous cat with the appearance of a lynx is practically impossible to domesticate and is difficult to train. She needs constant communication, and if there is a lack of it, she quickly runs wild.

Snow Leopard

This top is completed by the snow leopard. They are capable of jumping over a distance of 6-7 meters (the height of the jump reaches 3 meters). The leopard has short, but muscular and strong legs and a fairly long tail, which is necessary to maintain balance during a sprint. By the way, the maximum speed of this representative of the cat family can reach 80 km/h. The snow leopard is the highest mountain animal among all the inhabitants on the planet.

The first position in the ranking is still occupied by the cheetah. This spotted hunter is capable of reaching a speed of 112 km/h. in just 3 seconds. The maximum speed reaches 130 km/h. The length of one jump of this predatory cat can reach 7-8 meters. In addition, the cheetah is able to change the trajectory of its movement almost at lightning speed. That is why the victim has virtually no chance to escape the attack.

Sources:

https://zen.yandex.ru/media/id/592edbdf7ddde8b70fb1be78/5d50fdcda06eaf00ada8abb4 https://kipmu.ru/samye-bystrye-koshki-v-mire/ https://prokyr.ru/info/top-6-samyh -bystryh-kosek-v-mire-47297/

Elk

It’s hard to believe, but this stately and heavy animal, whose weight reaches 600 kilograms, is also very fast. The moose confidently takes seventh position in the ranking of the fastest animals in the world, accelerating to a speed of 75 km/h. The reason for speed is the desire to survive by escaping from predators. If the escape fails, the elk defends itself with blows from its front legs. In total, there are about 1.5 million individuals on the planet, half of which live in Russia. In the summer, moose are nocturnal, feeding on tree branches, mushrooms, lichens and other plant foods.