This wild cat species list shows the 40 wild cats in the Felidae family - their common and scientific names, and the continent where they occur.
Note there are a few multi-continent species and there are no wild cats in Australasia.
- The table is grouped by Continent to start.
- Click on the other column headings to sort by that column.
- Use the Search bar to filter for a particular term.
Download Wild Cat List by Continent.pdf
See Wild Cat Lists for more lists.
Background image: Wild Cats of the World Poster by Ellen Chester.
References:
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.
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 Continent
Wild Cat Common Name | Wild Cat Species Name | Wild Cat Continent Range |
---|---|---|
Black-footed Cat | Felis nigripes | Africa |
African Golden Cat | Profelis aurata | Africa |
Serval | Leptailurus serval | Africa |
Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus | Africa |
Lion | Panthera leo | Africa |
Caracal | Caracal caracal | Africa, Asia |
Leopard | Panthera pardus | Africa, Asia |
Jungle Cat | Felis chaus | Africa, Asia |
Sand Cat | Felis margarita | Africa, Asia |
Afro-Asiatic Wildcat | Felis lybica | Africa, Asia |
Chinese Mountain Cat | Felis bieti | Asia |
Pallas's Cat | Otocolobus manul | Asia |
Snow Leopard | Panthera uncia | Asia |
Tiger | Panthera tigris | Asia |
Mainland Leopard Cat | Prionailurus bengalensis | Asia |
Sunda Leopard Cat | Prionailurus javanensis | Asia |
Fishing Cat | Prionailurus viverrinus | Asia |
Rusty-spotted Cat | Prionailurus rubiginosus | Asia |
Asiatic Golden Cat | Catopuma temminckii | Asia |
Marbled Cat | Pardofelis marmorata | Asia |
Mainland Clouded Leopard | Neofelis nebulosa | Asia |
Sunda Clouded Leopard | Neofelis diardi | Asia |
Bornean Bay Cat | Catopuma badia | Asia |
Flat-headed Cat | Prionailurus planiceps | Asia |
Iberian Lynx | Lynx pardinus | Europe |
European Wildcat | Felis silvestris | Europe |
Eurasian Lynx | Lynx lynx | Europe, Asia |
Bobcat | Lynx rufus | North America |
Canada Lynx | Lynx canadensis | North America |
Andean Cat | Leopardus jacobita | South America |
Pampas Cat | Leopardus colocola | South America |
Guina / Kodkod | Leopardus guigna | South America |
Geoffroy's Cat | Leopardus geoffroyi | South America |
Northern Tiger Cat | Leopardus tigrinus | South America |
Southern Tiger Cat | Leopardus guttulus | South America |
Margay | Leopardus wiedi | South America |
Ocelot | Leopardus pardalis | South America |
Jaguarundi | Herpailurus yagouaroundi | South America |
Jaguar | Panthera onca | South America |
Puma | Puma concolor | South, North America |