Sneak Cat and Catawampus

his big cat has over 40 names in English; names like Mountain Screamer and Deer Tiger, Swamp Lion and Indian Devil*.

But we are more familiar with the names Cougar, Puma, and Mountain Lion.

Cougars are the fourth largest cat in the world, but are not considered a true big cat because they cannot roar. They do hiss, growl and purr, and are well-known for their screams*.

IK1**: Adult coloring is plain (silvery to tawny to red)

IK2: Lighter contrasting fur from underbelly up to chin

IK3: black coloring around whiskers

Check out the links below for some fun information about cougars!

*cougar names,  cougar scream

**Identification Key (More about identification keys here.)

Sneak Cat and Catawampus

his big cat has over 40 names in English; names like Mountain Screamer and Deer Tiger, Swamp Lion and Indian Devil*.

But we are more familiar with the names Cougar, Puma, and Mountain Lion.

Cougars are the fourth largest cat in the world, but are not considered a true big cat because they cannot roar. They do hiss, growl and purr, and are well-known for their screams*.

IK1**: Adult coloring is plain (silvery to tawny to red)

IK2: Lighter contrasting fur from underbelly up to chin

IK3: black coloring around whiskers

Check out the links below for some fun information about cougars!

*cougar names,  cougar scream

**Identification Key (More about identification keys here.)

Clouded, with a chance of Snow...

Let's start with seeing the differences in those two big cats that have black spots on gray; the Clouded leopard and the Snow leopard.


Again, the IKs* are short and easy...these two leopards will be a snap to identify!


Snow leopard IK: Black rosettes with gray centers


Clouded leopard IK: Black square blotches with gray centers...similar to a tortoise shell in pattern.

Okay, so what cat is in the photo above?  How about below?

For more about big cat spots, check out my blog post here.

*On many of my blog posts,  I will provide some specific Identification Keys, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)

The Clouded Leopard Project

Clouded, with a chance of Snow...

Let's start with seeing the differences in those two big cats that have black spots on gray; the Clouded leopard and the Snow leopard.


Again, the IKs* are short and easy...these two leopards will be a snap to identify!


Snow leopard IK: Black rosettes with gray centers


Clouded leopard IK: Black square blotches with gray centers...similar to a tortoise shell in pattern.

Okay, so what cat is in the photo above?  How about below?

For more about big cat spots, check out my blog post here.

*On many of my blog posts,  I will provide some specific Identification Keys, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.)

The Clouded Leopard Project

Big cats with circles and rosettes

Let's start with looking at the differences in those big cats that have black on tan spots; the cheetah, the leopard, and the jaguar.


The IKs* are fairly simple, and if you can remember them, you will never have trouble telling these black & tans apart again!


Cheetah IK: Believe it or not, the only big cat with simple round black spots is the cheetah.

Leopard IK: This cat has a flower-like pattern of black spots called rosettes. They are the same size all over the body. There is a slightly different fur color inside each one. Yellow leopards and snow leopards have this pattern.

Jaguar IK: Jaguars also have rosettes, but they are larger in the middle of the body, and have black dots inside. There is a slightly different fur color inside each one.


Okay, so what cat is in the photo above?
Look for my next post on the patterns of clouded leopard vs snow leopard.

Interesting in learning more about big cats?

*On many of my blog posts,  I will provide some specific Identification Keys, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.) 

Big cats with circles and rosettes

Let's start with looking at the differences in those big cats that have black on tan spots; the cheetah, the leopard, and the jaguar.


The IKs* are fairly simple, and if you can remember them, you will never have trouble telling these black & tans apart again!


Cheetah IK: Believe it or not, the only big cat with simple round black spots is the cheetah.

Leopard IK: This cat has a flower-like pattern of black spots called rosettes. They are the same size all over the body. There is a slightly different fur color inside each one. Yellow leopards and snow leopards have this pattern.

Jaguar IK: Jaguars also have rosettes, but they are larger in the middle of the body, and have black dots inside. There is a slightly different fur color inside each one.


Okay, so what cat is in the photo above?
Look for my next post on the patterns of clouded leopard vs snow leopard.

Interesting in learning more about big cats?

*On many of my blog posts,  I will provide some specific Identification Keys, or IKs, as seen and described in the photos. (More about identification keys here.) 

Hunting with Cheetahs, 1939

George Stubbs, India Cheetah with Two Servants and a Deer, 1765

This is a National Geographic video, from 1939, of an Indian prince using cheetahs to hunt. 

Pretty cool!