This list shows the 40 wild cat species grouped by the eight lineages of the Felidae wild cat family.
The wild cat common name and Felidae scientific names are shown.
Download Wild Cat Family List by Lineage.pdf
See Wild Cat Lists for more lists.
Background image: Wild Cats of the World Poster by Ellen Chester.
References:
- Lineages: O’Brien, J. S. and Johnson, W. E. 2007. The evolution of cats. Scientific American July 2007: 68-75.
- Taxonomy: Kitchener et al. 2017. A revised taxonomy of the Felidae. The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group.
- Conservation Status: IUCN 2022. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. 15 Nov 2022.
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(Outside the USA the original documentary is Big Cats by BBC Earth.)
Wild Cat List by Lineage
Wild Cat Lineage | Wild Cat Common Name | Felidae Genus | Felidae Species |
---|---|---|---|
Panthera lineage | |||
1 | Lion | Panthera | Panthera leo |
2 | Leopard | Panthera | Panthera pardus |
3 | Jaguar | Panthera | Panthera onca |
4 | Tiger | Panthera | Panthera tigris |
5 | Snow Leopard | Panthera | Panthera uncia |
6 | Mainland Clouded Leopard | Neofelis | Neofelis nebulosa |
7 | Sunda Clouded Leopard | Neofelis | Neofelis diardi |
Bay cat lineage | |||
8 | Asiatic Golden Cat | Catopuma | Catopuma temminckii |
9 | Bornean Bay Cat | Catopuma | Catopuma badia |
10 | Marbled Cat | Pardofelis | Pardofelis marmorata |
Caracal lineage | |||
11 | Caracal | Caracal | Caracal caracal |
12 | African Golden Cat | Caracal | Caracal aurata |
13 | Serval | Leptailurus | Leptailurus serval |
Leopardus lineage | |||
14 | Geoffroy’s Cat | Leopardus | Leopardus geoffroyi |
15 | Guiña, Kodkod | Leopardus | Leopardus guigna |
16 | Northern Tiger Cat | Leopardus | Leopardus tigrinus |
17 | Southern Tiger Cat | Leopardus | Leopardus guttulus |
18 | Andean Cat | Leopardus | Leopardus jacobita |
19 | Margay | Leopardus | Leopardus wiedii |
20 | Pampas Cat | Leopardus | Leopardus colocola |
21 | Ocelot | Leopardus | Leopardus pardalis |
Lynx lineage | |||
22 | Iberian Lynx | Lynx | Lynx pardinus |
23 | Eurasian Lynx | Lynx | Lynx lynx |
24 | Canada Lynx | Lynx | Lynx canadensis |
25 | Bobcat | Lynx | Lynx rufus |
Puma lineage | |||
26 | Puma | Puma | Puma concolor |
27 | Jaguarundi | Herpailurus | Herpailurus yagouaroundi |
28 | Cheetah | Acinonyx | Acinonyx jubatus |
Leopard cat lineage | |||
29 | Mainland Leopard Cat | Prionailurus | Prionailurus bengalensis |
30 | Sunda Leopard Cat | Prionailurus | Prionailurus javanensis |
31 | Fishing Cat | Prionailurus | Prionailurus viverrinus |
32 | Flat-headed Cat | Prionailurus | Prionailurus planiceps |
33 | Rusty-spotted Cat | Prionailurus | Prionailurus rubiginosus |
34 | Pallas’s Cat | Otocolobus | Otocolobus manul |
Felis lineage | |||
35 | European Wildcat | Felis | Felis silvestris |
36 | Afro-Asiatic Wildcat | Felis | Felis lybica |
37 | Sand Cat | Felis | Felis margarita |
38 | Black-footed Cat | Felis | Felis nigripes |
39 | Jungle Cat | Felis | Felis chaus |
40 | Chinese Mountain Cat | Felis | Felis bieti |