The African leopard (Panthera pardus) is a secretive, highly adaptable cat found across a wide range of habitats on the continent.

Its rosetted coat provides excellent camouflage, allowing it to excel as an ambush predator.

#10AfricanCatSpecies #AfricanLeopard 🐆 #Biodiversity #WildCatsOfAfrica

The southern subspecies of African Lion, Panthera leo melanochaita (mel-an-oh-KAI-tuh), occurs across eastern and southern Africa. These populations include most of the continent’s remaining lions today and represent the majority of global lion numbers. 🦁 #10AfricanCatSpecies

The northern subspecies of the African lion is Panthera leo leo. It historically ranged across West, Central, and North Africa.

The Asiatic lions in India belong to this same subspecies and represent its last surviving population outside Africa. 🦁

#10AfricanCatSpecies

The #IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) is a global authority on the status of species and ecosystems.

It publishes the Red List and supports expert groups, including the Cat Specialist Group, which studies wild cats across their range.

#Felidae #ConservationScience #WildCats

You may have noticed terms like “IUCN Red List” and “Cat Classification Task Force” appearing in recent posts.

These are important in conservation science, so here is a brief explanation of what they mean.

#WildlifeConservation #Biodiversity

African lion populations are estimated at only 22,000–25,000 individuals, and some assessments suggest fewer than 20,000 remain in the wild. 📉 The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. 🦁 #10AfricanCatSpecies

African lions are the largest of Africa’s wild cats and the second-largest cat species in the world. They are also the only truly social cat species, living in prides with complex cooperative behaviors. As apex predators, they play critical roles across Africa’s ecosystems. 🦁 #10AfricanCatSpecies

These are the #10AfricanCatSpecies, as recognised by the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group:
African lion, African leopard, Cheetah, Serval, Caracal, African golden cat, Jungle cat, African wildcat, Sand cat, and Black-footed cat.

#WildlifeConservation #Biodiversity

Africa is famous for its big cats, but the continent is also home to seven small and medium-sized felines – secretive species rarely seen even by researchers.

They face the same threats: habitat loss, poaching, and snares.

This series explores all #10AfricanCatSpecies 🐾

The #WildCatsOfTheWorld series will continue, but I’ll be rotating themes.

New this week: #10AfricanCatSpecies – big and small cats of Africa.

More series coming soon. 🐾

#WildlifeConservation #Biodiversity

We’re now sharing thoughtful posts about wild cats on LinkedIn too.

If you’re on LinkedIn, feel free to follow us there for our stories and educational content about wild cats.

🔗 www.linkedin.com/company/ourw...

The other branch from Proailurus led to Styriofelis (stir-ee-oh-FEE-lis), ancestor of all modern cats (Felinae + Pantherinae).

This lineage adapted and diversified into the 38+ wild cats alive today. 🐾

#WildCatsOfTheWorld #BigCats #SmallCats #Biodiversity

All cats trace back ~25–30M yrs to Proailurus (pro-AY-luh-rus), the first true cat (Felidae) 🐾

One branch became the extinct sabertooths (Machairodontinae – mah-KAI-roh-DON-tin-ee) 🦷: massive hunters like Smilodon and Homotherium, and lesser-known Lokotunjailurus.

#WildCatsOfTheWorld #Paleontology

From African savannahs to Arctic forests, wild cats have conquered nearly every corner of our planet. 🌍

Blue = smaller cats (Felinae)
Green = big cats (Pantherinae)

Wherever prey thrives, cats follow. 🐾

#WildCatsOfTheWorld #BigCats #Conservation
🗺️ Craig Pemberton / Wikipedia

From the tiny Black-footed Cat to the mighty Amur tiger, the cat family spans the globe.

Fierce, fragile, and fascinating – each species tells a story of survival.

Inspired by #WildCatsOfTheWorld by Luke Hunter. Stay tuned for more! 🐾

The way this puma cub looks at mom. 🥺

That little face says it all - mom is their whole world: teacher, protector, and hunting coach all in one.

Moments like these from Torres del Paine show why protecting habitat matters. When we save wild spaces, we help keep families together. 🐾