The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives by Alan Turner

Fortunately these surviving felines are quite readily distinguished morphologically, differ substantially in body size, exhibit some distinctive predatory behaviors and killing practices, and manifest a variety of territorial behaviors and social groupings.

NLY SEVEN EXTANT LARGE-BODIED CATS SURVIVE FROM THE important and remarkably diverse radiations of felid carnivores since midTertiary times, some 25 million years (Ma) ago. Clark Howell ix Preface xiii Acknowledgments xviiīEHAVIOR AND ECOLOGY: HUNTING AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY Įpilogue 219 Further Reading 221 Index 229 The male lion (center) has a unique appearance, but even the maneless females can be distinguished from a puma (center, on trunk) by their large, squarish heads on high shoulders, their long legs, and their blаск-tufted tails.įor our families and in memory of Bjorn KurtenĬONTENTS Foreword by F. The clouded leopard (resting on the branch) and the snow leopard (below it) both have unmistakable coats that differ from that of the true leopard. The jaguar (bottom, center) differs from the leopard in its stockier build and in the pattern of larger, closed rosettes on its coat. с10987654321 p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3įrontispiece: A group portrait of living large cats All living large cats can be distinguished at first sight, although their skeletons differ less from each other than they do from any of the specialized felid saber-tooths.

QL737.C23T83 1996 599.74428-dc20 96-3969Ĭasebound editions of Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-free paper. THE BIG CATS AND THEIR FOSSIL RELATIVES An Illustrated Guide to Their Evolution and Natural HistoryĬolumbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex Copyright © 1997 Columbia University Press All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Turner, Alan, 1947The big cats and their fossil relatives: an illustrated guide to their evolution and natural history / text by Alan Turner illustrations by Mauricio Anton.

The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives by Alan Turner