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<NOTE desc="EP42 - BIG CATS. VERSION 1. FILE EP42TXT1">

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BIG CATS BY <name key="EDMUND PORTER">

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BIG CATS BY <name key="EDMUND PORTER">

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Contents 1

Introduction 2-3

Lions and lionesses 4

Leopards 5

Jaguar 6

Bengal tiger 7

Graph 8

Bibliography 9

Index 10

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Lions, tigers, pumas, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars. <S>the big cats are made for hunting. A flexible, long spine to be fast in running. Powerful legs and very sharp claws for grappling victims. Hard jaws and long canine teeth for the killing bite. Big cats also have excellent hear-ing and eyesight and touch-sensitive whiskers to help find their meal in the dark. Most big cats have <reg>distinctive</reg> markings. In a zoo tigers stand out very well. In its natural habitat, a big cat's coat hides it in its <reg>surroundings</reg> - very useful when stalking a wild pig or a deer. A furry coat is also helpful against heat as well <sic>as well</sic> as cold. It's useful on the Serengeti plains in Africa as in the Himalayan <reg>mountains</reg>. Big cats <reg>usually</reg> hunt in the evening or at <reg>night</reg>. First it will find <reg>its</reg> <reg>prey</reg>. Then it will stalk it, moving

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stealthily from 1 area of cover to another. When pretty close to it <NOTE_LAN desc="word/s missing?"> will crouch low, then suddenly pounce at their <reg>prey</reg> from the side or from behind. Then it will knock <reg>its</reg> prey down with the force of the attack, grappling it with <reg>its</reg> claws. Once <reg>its</reg> prey is down, the big cat goes for <reg>its</reg> prey's throat, biting through the wind pipe for a quick kill. Most big cats are lionesses with extra things like stripes, manes, longer legs, longer tails and bigger or <sic>small</sic>. So if all the big cats lost their special features they would all be lionesses.

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A lion's territory is related to the size of the pride and the availability of prey and water.

Lionesses are vicious when defending their cubs. A small amount will act together to chase <reg>off</reg> a predator or an aggressive male lion. A lion will only kill when it is hungry. A <reg>lion's</reg> mane makes him look larger than he <reg>really</reg> is, helping to attract females and <sic>fright</sic> off rival males. The males will take no attention in rearing his young, and sometimes threatens male cubs. The lions always eat before the lionesses. Lions mostly live in africa. A male lion is 2.7 m and 90 cm is the tail and the female is smaller. A lion can be 200-250 Kg.

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The leopard has a <sic>high</sic> developed homing instinct. A group was seen wandering in a suburb of <sic>the</sic> Nairobi were rounded up and released in Tsavo National Park, 320km away. Within a few weeks they were found back in Nairobi. The range of a <reg>leopard's</sic> hearing is double that of a <reg>human's</reg>. And in dim light, its sight is 6 times better. The leopard has been known to eat dog flesh taking <reg>its</reg> victims from house verandahs. Black panthers and black leopards were once thought to be different animals, but now people know they are both the same. Although black, their rosettes of spots can be seen faintly and sometimes they occur in the same litter as the more common form.

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The jaguars and leopards are the only big cats that do not roar. Amazon Indians tell of jaguars emerging from the forest to play with children. All big cats can breed with all other big cats except a jaguar that can only breed with lions. Jaguars can be from 68 to 76 cm high. They can also be 112 to 185 cms long and <reg>their</reg> tails 45 to 75 cms. Males can weigh from 57 to 113 kgs and the females can weigh from 46 to 91 kgs.

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Driven by its need for flesh, a Bengal tiger can kill as much flesh as there is in 30 buffaloes every year. An adult can eat 31 kg of flesh in one night. The roar of the Bengal tiger can carry for over 2 km at night. The biggest cat in the world is the Siberian tiger. It weighs 250 to 280 kg. Like all domestic cats tigers can purr. Unlike their tame <reg>relatives</reg> that can when they breathe in or out tigers can only purr with <sic>the</sic> breathe out. Unlike other big cats tigers often eat meat that has begun to rot. About half of all Bengal tiger cubs die before they get very old.

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Lions

Leopards

Jaguars

Tigers

Cheetahs

Panthers

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Pocket Rockets, Big cats, Wild pack 3.

(Introduction)

Wildlife Fact File.

(Lion, leopard, Jaguar and bengal tiger.)

Pupils of year 4

(Graph.)

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