- LION
- LEOPARD
- TIGER
- PUMA
- OUR WORK
Only male lions boast the amazing halo of long hair that encircles their heads, with the exception of the lions of Tsavo (Kenya) that are maneless. A lion’s mane serves to intimidate other males and to impress females. Lionesses tend to prefer full dark manes as they signal fitness and ability to fight.
Most leopards are tan or orange with distinctive black spots, dubbed “rosettes” because they are shaped like roses. These marks work as the perfect camouflage. A leopard’s rosettes are quite similar to a jaguar’s, but they are not the same. Leopard spots have no little dots inside, which is typical in a jaguar’s coat.
Just as a snowflake or a fingerprint, the beautiful design of a tiger's striped coat will never be repeated in nature. It is totally unique. Another surprising fact is that this majestic pattern is not only printed on their coat, but also on their skin. It identifies every single tiger on earth; it confers to its own appearance.
Other than humans, pumas have the widest geographic range of any land mammal in the western hemisphere. They can be found throughout much of South and North America. The closer these mammals are to the poles, the greater their weight, reaching up to 264 pounds. In contrast, their weight goes down to as little as 114 pounds in equatorial areas.
The beauty of big cats' coats attract poachers, but through different on-the-ground projects and donations, we fight illegal hunting and help local people to coexist with these extraordinary animals.
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© Photo Ark
© Beverly Joubert
- LION
- LEOPARD
- TIGER
- PUMA
- OUR WORK
Lions have a terrifying smile. When we think of lions, the first thing that comes to mind are their large canines. These teeth can reach the impressive length of 4 inches, enabling lions to break all kinds of bones and tear the meat off their prey, something really useful when you devour between 20 to a whopping 100 pounds of meat a day!
Even though leopards are not the fastest in the big cats category, they are still extremely quick. In very short distances, they can reach up to 37 miles per hour, but perhaps their most surprising skill is their jumping power: more than 6 meters horizontally and 3 vertically. They also climb trees to store their prey and prevent robberies. Heavy carcass? No problem, leopards can carry up to three times their weight!
Tigers can eat up to 60 pounds in a night. With good reason, these carnivores are the biggest in the big cat family. They have a body weight of nearly 720 pounds. They will travel many miles to find their favourite snacks: deer, water buffalo, wild pig and antelope. Fortunately for us, we are not one of them. Tigers avoid humans.
Their powerful hind legs enable them to jump as far as 12 to 13 metres. Pumas have a poor sense of smell, but their excellent vision and hearing helps them to hunt in the early morning and evening hours.
We gather the skills of biologists, conservationists and explorers to achieve several goals: first, to assess and map current populations of big cats all over the world; second, to support conservation and coexistence projects designed by people living in the big cats environment; and third, to spread the facts about the decline in big cats population encouraging people to help save them.
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© Photo Ark
© Beverly Joubert
- LION
- LEOPARD
- TIGER
- PUMA
- OUR WORK
As you probably know, lions are powerful predators, but there is one activity they master above all others: sleeping. Lions spend most of their time hunting and sleeping, but they dedicate the majority of the day to snoozing. Up to 20 hours in fact. It takes time to digest a whole buffalo!
The piece of land leopards call home can be quite large. Their territory varies from 4 km2 to 100 km2. The main factors that determine the size of their territories are related to environment and prey density variables. A female's space is usually significantly smaller than a male’s, up to one-third of the size.
Most people tend to think all felines hate water. Actually, this is not true. Tigers feel comfortable splashing in the water, which is really bad news for animals like water buffalo. Water doesn't create an obstacle to successful hunting. In fact, water is one of their preferred territories to develop this activity.
The puma is known for easily adapting to any type of environment: it can live in forests, deserts, mountains and grasslands.
Our activity through The Big Cats Initiative is travelling around the whole world. To this day, projects and specialists are working in many countries. All knowledge and abilities from people committed to big cats are giving new chances to this awesome species to move further on. Discover where we are working now.
© Photo Ark
© Beverly Joubert
THE FUTURE OF BIG CATS
Today, more than ever, the future of big cats is uncertain. Through the Big Cats initiative, the National Geographic Society seeks to promote, and support projects aimed at protecting big cats and which, thanks to your help, can materialise and actually become a reality.
In total, through Big Cats, we have managed to support over 100 innovative projects in 28 countries and build more than 1,800 livestock enclosures to keep big cats, livestock and people from harm. " Learn more about the initiative.
In total, through Big Cats, we have managed to support over 100 innovative projects in 28 countries and build more than 1,800 livestock enclosures to keep big cats, livestock and people from harm. " Learn more about the initiative.
BIG CATS NEEDS BIG ACTS
The situation of big cats is no longer urgent; it is simply dramatic. At National Geographic, we are aware of the need to take action, by creating and designing all that is required to ensure that the future of big cats is not under threat.
That is how the Big Cats Initiative came about, an initiative that revolves around one central idea: big cats need big actions. A campaign that not only involves raising awareness, but also financing research and projects aimed at preserving big cat species, whose future depends, more than ever, on us.
That is how the Big Cats Initiative came about, an initiative that revolves around one central idea: big cats need big actions. A campaign that not only involves raising awareness, but also financing research and projects aimed at preserving big cat species, whose future depends, more than ever, on us.
