BIG CATS OF INDIA

The wild forests of India is the home of five species of felidae. Five cats of felidae family are Asiatic Lion, Bengal Tiger, Indian Leopard, Snow Leopard and Clouded Leopard. A new species of big cat know as Pogeyan grey cat also exists which is found in the Western Ghats, but no images or information is available so far.

■ Asiatic Lions

(Panthera leo leo)

They are the big cats found in the Gir forest National Park of Gujarat. They are endangered because of its small population size and area of occupancy. There are about 650 individuals found in India.

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■ Bengal Tiger

(Panthera tigeris tigeris)

It is the national animal of India. It is widely distributed in the Indian Subcontinent and has classified as endangered with an estimate of about 3,100+ individuals. The Bengal tiger is the largest cat from the family of felidae cats of India.

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■ Indian Leopard

(Panthera pardus fusca)

It is a leopard subspecies which is widely distributed in the Indian Subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on tge IUCN Red List. There are approx 12,000- 14,000 individuals found in the nation.

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■ Snow Leopard

(Panthera uncia)

It is the leopard species which lives in the high altitudes snow mountain range of the Himalayas. It is listed as Vulnerable with a population of 2,500 individuals found in India.

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■ Clouded Leopard

(Neofelis nebulosa)

The Clouded leopard is a medium-sized wild cat which lives in the Himalayan foothills. They are the smallest of all the five big cats found in India. They are listed as Vulnerable with a population of 1000 adults in India.

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Leopard & Tigers both of them co-exist in the same habitat.