bug club big cats sample · wild cats are now rare or endangered. this is because many habitats are...
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This is your free sample of Bug Club.
Big Cats
1
ContentsIntroducing cats 2-3
Cat habitats 4-5
Tiger tales 6-7
King of the beasts 8-9
Water cat 10-11
Lounging leopards 12-13
Snow cat 14-15
Powerful pumas 16-17
Speed king 18-19
Curious cats 20-21
Forest felines 22-23
Cat families 24-25
Solitary killers 26-27
Team tactics 28-29
Super senses 30-31
Glossary and Index 32
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Jacket ImagesFront Getty Images:
Minden Pictures/Jim BrandenburgAll other images © Dorling Kindersley.
For further information see www.dkimages.com
Did you know that a lion’s roar can be heard up to eight kilometres
away? Or that two-thirds of the world’s big cats are rare or
endangered? Discover the fantastic world of big cats,
from the shy snow leopard to the powerful Amur tiger.
T 0845 630 33 33F 0845 630 77 77
I S B N 978-0-435-07583-5
9 7 8 0 4 3 5 0 7 5 8 3 5
Written by Sarah Walker
Did you know that a lion’s roar Did you know that a lion’s roar
BIG CATS
Brown BNC 3B
www.bugclub.co.uk
the powerful Amur tiger.“I liked finding out about the habitats of the wild cats”
Kurtis
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Introducing catsCat-like creatures have existed for millions of years. In size order, the seven biggest cats in the world today are: the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard, puma, and cheetah. The largest cat is the Amur tiger. It can be up to 4 m long, from head to tail.
Cat Facts•Cats kill other animals for their food, which makes them carnivores (meat eaters).
•Cats are mammals, which means that females produce milk to feed their young.
Domestic cat Bobcat
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3
25 cm
50 cm
75 cm
100 cm
120 cm
0 cmPuma Tiger
Big CatsThe height of a big cat is measured from its shoulder to the tips of its paws. How tall are you compared to these cats?
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TundraRainforestGrassland and ScrubDesertConiferous forest
Broadleaf forest (temperate forest)Mountain
PolarSea
Sea Ice4
NORTH AMERICA
Canada
SOUTH AMERICA
CENTRAL AMERICA
Pumas live in a variety of habitats, and in countries ranging from Canada, down through the US, to Central and South America.
Jaguars live in the rainforests and swampy grasslands of Central and South America.
Equator
Leopard
Key Map Guide
Rainforest
Forest
Grassland
Desert
Mountains
Cat habitatsThere are 37 species of wild cats in the world. They live in many habitats from snow-capped mountains to deserts, and grasslands to tropical rainforests. Most of the seven biggest cats are found in places with wet and dry seasons where the weather is warm all year round.
Forests and rainforestsTropical rainforests in Central and South America are home to jaguars and pumas. Tigers and leopards are found in forests in Asia.
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TundraRainforestGrassland and ScrubDesertConiferous forest
Broadleaf forest (temperate forest)Mountain
PolarSea
Sea Ice5
EUROPE
Russian FederationSiberia
ChinaASIA
AFRICA
Lions live in prides in the grasslands of Africa, and a small part of India.
Cheetahs live in the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa and Asia. They have also been seen in desert regions of the Middle East.
Tigers live in the forests of India, Siberia and Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia
India
Snow leopardslive in the mountains of central Asia.
Leopards live in the forests and grasslands of Africa as well as
parts of Asia and Middle
East.
ANTARCTICA
AUSTRALIA
Save our homes!
Disappearing WorlD
Today more than two-thirds of the world’s wild cats are now rare or endangered. This is because many habitats are disappearing as humans move into places where big cats live.
grasslandsThe rich grasslands of Africa are home to lions, cheetahs and leopards. A few of these cats also live in some parts of Asia.
MountainsThe snow leopard lives high-up in the freezing Asian mountains.
Save our homes!
Save o
ur
homes!
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Tiger talesTigers are the largest and most powerful of all the big cats. A tiger is ten times stronger than a person. All five types of tiger are covered in striking stripes. Each animal’s markings are unique, just like human fingerprints.
The biggest of them all Amur tigers are the largest of all tigers. They live in the freezing forests of Russia, China and North Korea. A thick, furry coat protects them from the cold.
A rare sightOnly Bengal tigers give birth to white cubs, and these are
very rare. Few white tigers exist in the wild.
Skills for lifePlay fights teach cubs
important skills. When they are older they will
have to protect their own territories
and cubs.
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7
Fun in the waterAlthough they spend most of their time on land, tigers do love the water. They often lounge around in the water to cool down on hot days.
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Glossary Indexcamouflages hides or disguises
feline relating to cats
habitats places where animals or plants live or grow
predators animals that hunt other animals for food
prey animals that are hunted for food
scrubland land that is thinly covered by plants
siblings brothers and sisters
solitary living alone
species group of animals or plants made up of similar individuals
stealthy careful not to be seen or heard
tactics methods for getting something done
territories areas defended by animals against others of their kind
unique different from any other
vibrations shaking movements
bobcat 2, 22-23
caracal 21
cheetah 2, 5, 18-19, 24, 28
clouded leopard 12
domestic cat 2
fishing cat 22-23
jaguar 2, 4, 10-11
leopard 2, 4-5, 12-13
lion 2, 5, 8-9, 24-27
lynx 22-23
ocelot 22-23
panther 13
puma 2-4, 16-17, 24, 29
serval 20, 29
snow leopard 2, 5, 14-15
tiger 2-3, 5-7, 25
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