In the rain forests of tropical Asia, the clouded leopard hunts deer, monkeys and pigs, killing them with its long, sharp canine teeth. Distinct from the other cat families, the clouded leopard forms its own genus, bridging between the smaller and larger cats. They average about six feet in length, including the tail and weigh between 35 and 50 pounds. Excellent climbing ability allows them to climb trees, jump from branch to branch, and surprise their prey by jumping down on them from an overhead branch. The clouded leopard is threatened by the destruction of its rain forest habitat and by hunting for its fur, which can be worth as much as $2000 for a single skin.

The beauty of the Ocelot's coat makes it the best known small cat of the Americas. It also makes it one of the most threatened. Ocelots inhabit brushy and forested regions from Texas well into South America. They are agile climbers and leapers, hunting mostly at night for small prey such as opossums, mice, rats and rabbits. The Ocelot reaches as weight of 15 to 35 pounds.

The cougar is known by many names. Among them are mountain lion, puma, panther, catamount and deer tiger. It is the largest of the purring cats. Once common throughout North America, its habitat has been reduced to a restricted range west of the rocky mountains with a small remnant population in Florida. The mountain lion ranges in size from six to nine feet from nose to tail with weights between 75 and 110 pounds for females and between 100 and 200 pounds for males. The mountain lion stalks its prey in its favored habitat of rugged terrain with thick cover of forest or brush. Adult mountain lions live within territories of between 25 and 300 square miles which they mark with scrapes of earth, leaves and urine.

The Fishing cat is found in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Sumatra and Java. Its toes are partially webbed and the tips of the claws protrude from their sheaths when fully retracted. They live near water in thick cover in habitats such as mangrove, marshes, and densely vegetated areas along watercourses. They eat fish, birds, frogs and small mammals. Conversion of wetlands and forest to agriculture is their biggest threat.

The cheetah has a slender, long-legged body built for speed. The fastest of all land animals, cheetahs can run up to 70 miles per hour in pursuit of their prey. A cheetah's maximum stride length is around twenty-two feet, with almost half of that distance traveled fully airborne! The cheetah uses vast amounts of energy chasing its prey and is susceptible to having its meal stolen by animals such as the leopard and hyena as it is not a good fighter. Once found throughout Africa and Asia, the cheetah has been sharply reduced through hunting and habitat destruction to sub-Saharan Africa with a small population in Iran. Only around 12,000 cheetahs are left in all of Africa, and another 200 left in Iran. Cheetahs have been around for at least three million years, before any of the other cats. Many people are working hard to see that they don't disappear altogether.

The Canada lynx is found throughout Canada and in the northernmost regions of the United States. They have long legs, a short body and huge "snowshoe" feet to help them walk in the snow. Their most recognizable feature is the pointed tufts of hair at the tops of their ears. The lynx has a reputation as a shy, retiring creature that avoids humans at all costs. This is not surprising, as it is still legal to hunt the lynx for its fur. The Canada lynx exists almost entirely on the snowshoe hare, so their populations fluctuate markedly with that of their prey species. They are the only large predator evolved to move through the snow, so they have very little competition. That's a good thing for them because they're very slow for a cat!

The Siberian lynx is nearly twice as large as its relative, the Canada lynx, with females weighing up to 50 pounds and males weighing up to 84 pounds. They live in Scandinavia and throughout the northern reaches of Russia. They prefer a forested habitat of dense undergrowth and cover. Being large cats, they can go after game as large as deer, although they also eat mice, rabbits, birds and other small animals. Siberian Lynxes are solitary animals which only come together to mate. They are still legally hunted for their beautiful spotted furs. The hunting of all other spotted cats was banned in 1975.

The bobcat is native only to North America and is at home in many habitats from Florida to southern Canada. It has a reputation as a fierce fighter and a rowdy, aggressive animal, having evolved among the competition of wolves, coyotes and bears. Experts estimate that between 700,000 and 1.5 million bobcats range through the Untied States alone. It is still legal to hunt the bobcat in most states. This currently seems to have little effect on their population.

The caracal, or desert lynx, is a creature of the wide-open African savanna which also frequents scattered woodlands. They weigh between 20 and 40 pounds and are between 24 and 30 inches long, excluding the tail. They range across the African savanna belt and as far as the Middle East and sand dune regions of southern Iran. In India, where caracals once sat at the feet of princes, only scant numbers remain. Caracals are swift, powerful cats which can kill prey up to twice their body size, such as the 70-pound reedbuck. They also often feed on small prey, which they kill with repeated whackings with their deadly paws. The caracal is thought to be the fastest of the small cats.

The least known of all the big cats, the snow leopard lives high in the mountains of central Asia. These solitary cats prowl craggy mountain slopes just above the tree line, relying on their heavy coat to protect them from the severe Himalayan winters. The average male is 4 to 5 feet in length, with a tail as long as 3 feet. Snow leopards primarily hunt in the mornings and evenings, but are active all day. They hunt animals varied in size from small mice to large sheep that may take them a week to eat. Snow leopards are uncommon and rarely seen in their extreme habitats. Even so, they are hunted to satisfy illegal demand for their pelts which demand a high price on the international black market.

The leopard is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. It is the most adaptable and widely distributed of all the big cats. They have beautiful spotted coats -- even black leopards (also called black panthers) have spots, although they are difficult to see. The black leopard is the same species as the normal golden-colored leopard, differing only in the gene for melanism, or black coloration. Leopards hunt alone at night, stalking their prey until it is close enough to pounce. While they mostly hunt small animals such as monkeys, birds, etc., they can and do kill prey as large as antelope and young zebras. They are known to hide their kill by dragging it up into a tree to prevent it from being "stolen" by other animals such as lions. The leopard is still illegally hunted for its beautiful skin, although its wide range and adaptability has kept the world number of leopards over an estimated 100,000.