Felines

Feline or felidae is the biological family of the cats, and a member of this family is called a felid. Felines are the strictest carnivores of the sixteen mammal families. The most familiar feline is the domestic cat, which first became associated with humans about 10,000 years ago, but the feline family includes all other wild cats including the big cats. The first felines emerged about 25 million years ago. Felines belong to two subfamilies, the Patherinae and the Felinae. In prehistoric times, there was a third subfamily which included the “saber-toothed cats.” In addition, there were also other cat-like mammals. There are 41 known species of felines in the world today, which have all descended from the same ancestor. Also, the various species of felines vary greatly in size. One of the smallest felines is the Black-footed Cat which varies between 35-40 cm in length, and the largest is the Siberian Tiger. Compared with many other mammals, they have relatively short faces, and good binocular vision. What do you think is the biggest difference between wild cats and domestic cats? Also, can you think of some examples of felines?