Editing Felidae (section)

==Characteristics==
[[File:Whiskers'_purr_edit.ogg|right|thumb|Domestic cat purring]]
[[File:Meow.ogg|right|thumb|Domestic cat meowing]]
[[File:Lion raring-sound1TamilNadu178.ogg|thumb|Lion [[roaring]]]]
[[File:Cat Claws (149400819).jpeg|alt=Close-up photo of a cat paw with extended claws|thumb|Extended claws on a house cat]]
[[File:Sisters grooming (9997099123).jpg|thumb|Lionesses [[social grooming|grooming each other]]]]
All members of the cat family have the following characteristics in common:
* They are [[digitigrade]] and have five toes on their forefeet and four on their hind feet. Their curved claws are [[Protraction|protractile]] and attached to the terminal [[phalanges|bones of the toe]] with [[ligament]]s and [[tendon]]s. The claws are guarded by [[cutaneous]] sheaths, except in the ''[[Acinonyx]]''.<ref name=Pocock1917>{{cite journal |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |date=1917 |title=VII.—On the external characters of the Felidæ |journal=The Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology |series=8 |volume=19 |issue=109 |pages=113−136 |url=https://archive.org/details/ser8annalsmagazi19londuoft/page/112 |doi=10.1080/00222931709486916}}</ref>
* The [[wikt:plantar#Adjective|plantar]] pads of both fore and hind feet form compact three-lobed cushions.<ref name=Pocock1939 />
* They actively protract the claws by contracting muscles in the toe,<ref name=WCoW>{{cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |date=2002 |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=9780226779997 |chapter=What is a Cat? |pages=5–18 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA3 |access-date=2020-12-31 |archive-date=2021-03-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331062330/https://books.google.com/books?id=hFbJWMh9-OAC&pg=PA3 |url-status=live}}</ref> and they passively retract them. The [[dewclaw]]s are expanded but do not protract.<ref name=Kitchener2010>{{cite book |last1=Kitchener |first1=A. C. |last2=Van Valkenburgh |first2=B. |last3=Yamaguchi |first3=N. |date=2010 |chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266753114 |chapter=Felid form and function |title=Biology and Conservation of wild felids |editor1-first=D. |editor1-last=Macdonald |editor2-last=Loveridge |editor2-first=A. |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |pages=83−106 |access-date=2018-09-11 |archive-date=2021-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210216135340/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266753114_Felid_form_and_function |url-status=live}}</ref>
* They have lithe and flexible bodies with muscular limbs.<ref name=WCoW />
* Their skulls are foreshortened with a rounded profile and large orbits.<ref name=Kitchener2010 />
* They have 30 teeth with a [[dentition|dental formula]] of {{DentalFormula|upper=3.1.3.1|lower=3.1.2.1}}. The upper third premolar and lower molar are adapted as [[carnassial]] teeth, suited to tearing and cutting flesh.<ref name=Pocock1939>{{cite book |last=Pocock |first=R. I. |date=1939 |chapter=Felidae |title=The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. – Volume 1 |publisher=Taylor and Francis |location=London |pages=191–330 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/PocockMammalia1/pocock1#page/n241/mode/2up}}</ref> The [[canine teeth]] are large, reaching exceptional size in the extinct [[Machairodontinae]]. The lower carnassial is smaller than the upper carnassial and has a crown with two compressed blade-like pointed cusps.<ref name=WCoW />
* Their [[tongue]]s are covered with horn-like [[Filiform papilla|papillae]], which rasp meat from prey and aid in grooming.<ref name=Kitchener2010 />
* Their noses project slightly beyond the lower jaw.<ref name=Pocock1917 />
* Their eyes are relatively large, situated to provide [[binocular vision]]. Their night vision is especially good due to the presence of a ''[[tapetum lucidum]]'', which reflects light inside the eyeball, and gives felid eyes their distinctive shine. As a result, the eyes of felids are about six times more light-sensitive than those of humans, and many species are at least partially [[nocturnal]]. The [[retina]] of felids also contains a relatively high proportion of [[rod cell]]s, adapted for distinguishing moving objects in conditions of dim light, which are complemented by the presence of [[cone cell]]s for sensing colour during the day.<ref name=WCoW />
* They have well-developed and highly sensitive [[whiskers]] above the eyes, on the cheeks, and the [[snout|muzzle]], but not below the chin.<ref name=Pocock1917 /> Whiskers help to navigate in the dark and to capture and hold prey.<ref name=Kitchener2010 />
* Their [[pinna (anatomy)|external ears]] are large and especially sensitive to high-frequency sounds in the smaller cat species. This sensitivity allows them to locate small [[rodent]] prey.<ref name=WCoW />
* The penis is subconical,<ref name=Pocock1917 /> facing downward when not erect<ref name="Ewer1973" /> and backward during [[urination]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ewer |first=R. F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LTzBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA107 |title=Ethology of Mammals |date=2013-12-11 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4899-4656-0 |language=en}}</ref> The [[baculum]] is small or vestigial, and shorter than in the [[Canidae]].<ref name="Ewer1973">{{cite book |last=Ewer |first=R. F. |date=1973 |title=The Carnivores |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IETMd3-lSlkC |access-date=27 January 2013 |publisher=Cornell University Press |location=Ithaca, New York |isbn=9780801484933 |archive-date=28 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528110801/http://books.google.com/books?id=IETMd3-lSlkC&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lariviere |first1=S. |last2=Ferguson |first2=S. H. |date=2002 |title=On the evolution of the mammalian baculum: vaginal friction, prolonged intromission or induced ovulation? |journal=Mammal Review |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=283–294 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2907.2002.00112.x |bibcode=2002MamRv..32..283L |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227798788 |access-date=2020-08-25 |archive-date=2021-02-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212220657/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227798788_On_the_evolution_of_the_mammalian_baculum_Vaginal_friction_prolonged_intromission_or_induced_ovulation |url-status=live}}</ref> Most felids have [[penile spines]] that [[Induced ovulation (animals)|induce ovulation]] during [[copulation (zoology)|copulation]].<ref name="Morais2008">{{cite book |last=de Morais |first=R. N. |title=Biology, Medicine, and Surgery of South American Wild Animals |date=2008 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9780470376980 |editor1=Fowler, M. E. |edition=Second |place=New York |pages=312–316 |chapter=Reproduction in small felid males |access-date=2020-08-25 |editor2=Cubas, Z. S. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P_Wn3wfd0SQC&pg=PA312 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212220647/https://books.google.com/books?id=P_Wn3wfd0SQC&pg=PA312 |archive-date=2021-02-12 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* They have a [[vomeronasal organ]] in the roof of the mouth, allowing them to "taste" the air.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Salazar |first1=I. |last2=Quinteiro |first2=P. |last3=Cifuentes |first3=J. M. |last4=Caballero |first4=T. G. |date=1996 |title=The vomeronasal organ of the cat |journal=Journal of Anatomy |volume=188 |issue=2 |pages=445–454 |pmc=1167581 |pmid=8621344}}</ref> The use of this organ is associated with the [[flehmen response]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hart |first1=B. L. |last2=Leedy |first2=M. G. |date=1987 |title=Stimulus and hormonal determinants of flehmen behavior in cats |journal=Hormones and Behavior |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=44−52 |doi=10.1016/0018-506X(87)90029-8 |pmid=3557332 |s2cid=6039377 |url=https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Leedy_Gail_1987_Stimulus_and_Hormonal_Determinants.pdf |access-date=2019-03-27 |archive-date=2019-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608065844/https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/asu/f/Leedy_Gail_1987_Stimulus_and_Hormonal_Determinants.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref>
* They cannot detect the [[sweetness]] of sugar, as they lack the sweet [[taste receptor]].<ref name =PLOS>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=X. |last2=Li, W. |last3=Wang, H. |last4=Cao, J. |last5=Maehashi, K. |last6=Huang, L. |last7=Bachmanov, A. A. |last8=Reed, D. R. |last9=Legrand-Defretin, V. |last10=Beauchamp, G. K. |last11=Brand, J. G. |date=2005 |title=Pseudogenization of a Sweet-Receptor Gene Accounts for Cats' Indifference toward Sugar |journal=PLOS Genetics |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=27–35 |doi=10.1371/journal.pgen.0010003 |pmid=16103917 |pmc=1183522 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
* They share a broadly similar set of vocalizations but with some variation between species. In particular, the pitch of calls varies, with larger species producing deeper sounds; overall, the frequency of felid calls ranges between 50 and 10,000 hertz.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Sunquist |first1=M. |last2=Sunquist |first2=F. |date=2002 |title=Wild Cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=Chicago |isbn=9780226518237 |chapter=Appendix 4. Vocal communication in felids |pages=421–424 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IF8nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA421 |access-date=2020-12-25 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223074738/https://books.google.com/books?id=IF8nDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA421 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Graf |first=R. F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o2I1JWPpdusC&pg=PA43 |title=Modern Dictionary of Electronics |date=1999 |publisher=Newnes |isbn=9780750698665 |access-date=2020-12-31 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223074729/https://books.google.com/books?id=o2I1JWPpdusC&pg=PA43 |url-status=live}}</ref> The standard sounds made by felids include mewing, chuffing, spitting, hissing, snarling and [[growling]]. Mewing and chuffing are the main contact sound, whereas the others signify an aggressive motivation.<ref name=WCoW />
* They can [[purr]] during both phases of [[Respiration (physiology)|respiration]], though pantherine cats seem to purr only during [[oestrus]] and copulation, and as cubs when suckling. Purring is generally a low-pitch sound of 16.8–27.5 [[Hz]] and is mixed with other vocalization types during the expiratory phase.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Peters |first1=G. |date=2002 |title=Purring and similar vocalizations in mammals |journal=Mammal Review |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=245−271 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-2907.2002.00113.x|bibcode=2002MamRv..32..245P }}</ref> The ability to roar comes from an elongated and specially adapted larynx and [[hyoid bone|hyoid apparatus]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Weissengruber |first1=G. E. |last2=Forstenpointner |first2=G. |last3=Peters |first3=G. |last4=Kübber-Heiss |first4=A. |last5=Fitch |first5=W. T. |title=Hyoid apparatus and pharynx in the lion (''Panthera leo''), jaguar (''Panthera onca''), tiger (''Panthera tigris''), cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') and the domestic cat (''Felis silvestris f. catus'') |journal=Journal of Anatomy |publisher=Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland |pages=195–209 |volume=201 |issue=3 |date=2002 |doi=10.1046/j.1469-7580.2002.00088.x |pmc=1570911 |pmid=12363272}}</ref> When air passes through the larynx on the way from the lungs, the cartilage walls of the larynx vibrate, producing sound. Only lions, leopards, tigers, and jaguars are truly able to roar, although the loudest mews of snow leopards have a similar, if less structured, sound.<ref name=WCoW /> Clouded leopards can neither purr nor roar, and so ''[[Neofelis]]'' is said to be a sister group to ''[[Panthera]]''. Sabretoothed cats may have had the ability to both roar and purr.
The colour, length and density of their fur are very diverse. Fur colour covers the gamut from white to black, and fur patterns from distinctive small spots, and stripes to small blotches and [[Rosette (zoology)|rosette]]s. Most cat species are born with spotted fur, except the [[jaguarundi]] (''Herpailurus yagouaroundi''), [[Asian golden cat]] (''Catopuma temminckii'') and [[caracal]] (''Caracal caracal''). The spotted fur of lion (''Panthera leo''), cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') and [[cougar]] (''Puma concolor'') cubs change to uniform fur during their [[ontogeny]].<ref name=Peters1982 /> Those living in cold environments have thick fur with long hair, like the [[snow leopard]] (''Panthera uncia'') and the [[Pallas's cat]] (''Otocolobus manul'').<ref name=Kitchener2010 /> Those living in tropical and hot climate zones have short fur.<ref name=WCoW /> Several species exhibit [[melanism]] with all-black individuals, cougars are notable for lacking melanism but [[leucism]] and [[albinism]] are present in cougars along with many other felids.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Eizirik |first1=E. |last2=Yuhki |first2=N. |last3=Johnson |first3=W. E. |last4=Menotti-Raymond |first4=M. |last5=Hannah |first5=S. S. |last6=O'Brien |first6=S. J. |s2cid=19021807 |title=Molecular Genetics and Evolution of Melanism in the Cat Family |journal=Current Biology |date=2003 |volume=13 |issue=5 |pages=448–453 |doi=10.1016/S0960-9822(03)00128-3 |pmid=12620197|doi-access=free|bibcode=2003CBio...13..448E }}</ref>

In the great majority of cat species, the tail is between a third and a half of the body length, although with some exceptions, like the ''[[Lynx]]'' species and [[margay]] (''Leopardus wiedii'').<ref name=WCoW /> Cat species vary greatly in body and skull sizes, and weights:
* The largest cat species is the [[tiger]] (''Panthera tigris''), with a head-to-body length of up to {{cvt|390|cm}}, a weight range of at least {{cvt|65|to|325|kg}}, and a skull length ranging from {{cvt|316|to|413|mm}}.<ref name=WCoW /><ref name="Hewett&Hewett1938">{{cite book |last1=Hewett |first1=J. P. |last2=Hewett Atkinson |first2=L. |date=1938 |title=Jungle trails in northern India: reminiscences of hunting in India |publisher=Metheun and Company Limited |location=London |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.209125}}</ref> Although the maximum skull length of a lion is slightly greater at {{cvt|419|mm}}, it is generally smaller in head-to-body length than the tiger.<ref name="Geptner1972">{{cite book |last1=Heptner |first1=V. G. |last2=Sludskij |first2=A. A. |orig-year=1972 |date=1992 |title=Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola |trans-title=Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) |publisher=Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation |location=Washington DC |chapter=Tiger |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/mammalsofsov221992gept#page/94/mode/2up |pages=95–202}}</ref>
* The smallest cat species are the [[rusty-spotted cat]] (''Prionailurus rubiginosus'') and the [[black-footed cat]] (''Felis nigripes''). The former is {{cvt|35|-|48|cm}} in length and weighs {{cvt|0.9|-|1.6|kg}}.<ref name=WCoW /> The latter has a head-to-body length of {{cvt|36.7|-|43.3|cm}} and a maximum recorded weight of {{cvt|2.45|kg}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mills |first1=M. G. L. |date=2005 |title=The mammals of the southern African subregion |location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521844185 |editor1-last=Skinner |editor1-first=J. D. |editor2-last=Chimimba |editor2-first=C. T. |edition=Third |chapter=''Felis nigripes'' Burchell, 1824 Black-footed cat |pages=405−408 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iqwEYkTDZf4C&pg=PA405 |access-date=2020-12-31 |archive-date=2021-04-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412215230/https://books.google.com/books?id=iqwEYkTDZf4C&pg=PA405 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sliwa |first1=A. |date=2004 |title=Home range size and social organization of black-footed cats (''Felis nigripes'') |journal=[[Mammalian Biology]] |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=96–107 |doi=10.1078/1616-5047-00124}}</ref>

Most cat species have a [[haploid]] number of 18 or 19. Central and South American cats have a haploid number of 18, possibly due to the combination of two smaller [[chromosome]]s into a larger one.<ref name=robinson>{{cite book| last1=Vella |first1=C. |last2=Shelton |first2=L. M. |last3=McGonagle |first3=J. J. |last4=Stanglein |first4=T. W. |title=Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians |edition=Fourth |publisher=Butterworh-Heinemann Ltd. |date=2002 |location=Oxford |isbn=9780750640695}}</ref>

Felidae have type IIx [[Skeletal muscle|muscle fibers]] three times more [[Power (physics)|powerful]] than the muscle fibers of human athletes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kohn |first1=Tertius A. |last2=Noakes |first2=Timothy D. |date=2013 |title=Lion (''Panthera leo'') and caracal (''Caracal caracal'') type IIx single muscle fibre force and power exceed that of trained humans |url=https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.078485 |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |volume=216 |issue=Pt 6 |pages=960–969 |doi=10.1242/jeb.078485 |issn=1477-9145 |pmc=3587382 |pmid=23155088}}</ref>