Big cat distinguishes the large wild
cats from much smaller species. One definition of big cat includes only the four species of cat in the
genus Panthera: the
lion,
tiger,
leopard, and
jaguar. Members of this genus are the only cats able to roar, and this is sometimes considered a distinguishing characteristic of big cats. A more expansive definition also includes the
snow leopard,
clouded leopard, and
cougar. The roaring cats may also be distinguished from the other big cats by referring to them as "great cats". Another distinction is the offspring of the great cats are called
cubs while the offspring of the lesser big cats are referred to as
kittens.
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