Top 10 biggest cat species

Cats are animals belonging to the family Felidae. Based on the typical size, the following are the top 10 biggest cat species in the world. Let’s read.

Top 10 biggest cat species

1. Tiger
2. Lion
3. Jaguar
4. Cougar/Puma/mountain lion
5. Leopard
6. Cheetah
7. Snow Leopard
8. Eurasian Lynx
9. Sunda Clouded leopard
10. Clouded leopard

1. Tiger (Panthera tigris)

Tiger is the biggest of all cat species. Only found in Asia, the tiger has two subspecies: the Continental Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) and the Sunda Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica).

The Siberian Tiger (a continental Tiger population) is the largest among all Tigers. Adult male Siberian Tigers typically weigh 180-300 kg (397-661 lb) while adult females weigh 100-170 kg (220-375 lb).

Tigers live a solitary life and are very rarely seen in groups. Tiger is the national animal of India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and South Korea.

(Read more: 15 Interesting facts about Tigers)

2. Lion (Panthera leo)

The lion is the second biggest cat species. Found in Africa and India, the lion has two recognized subspecies: (1) Panthera leo leo found in Central and West Africa, and in India; (2) Panthera leo melanochaita found in Southern and Eastern Africa.

The size of Lions varies from region to region but the largest specimens easily weigh over 200 kg (440 lb).

Lion has the loudest roar among all big cats. Its roar can be heard from as far as 8 km (5 miles). Unlike Tiger, Lion is a social animal and lives in groups called Pride.

(Read more: 12 interesting facts about Lions | fun Lion facts)

3. Jaguar (Panthera onca)

The Jaguar is the third-biggest cat species. Found in Central and South America and rarely in the US, Jaguars typically weigh between 56–96 kg (124–212 lb).

The Jaguars of Central America are much smaller in size compared to the Jaguars of South America.

4. Cougar/Puma/Mountain lion (Puma concolor)

The cougar cat is found in both North and South America. In many regions, its habitat overlaps with the habitat of the Jaguar. Cougars weigh typically in the range of 50-70 kg (110-154 lb). They grow bigger in size at higher latitudes. Near the equator, they are relatively smaller.

Though Cougars and Jaguars have comparable sizes, Jaguars have a greater biting force and physical strength. Jaguars also prey on larger animals as compared to cougars.

5. Leopard (Panthera pardus)

Among all the cats, Leopard probably has the largest habitat range. Leopard is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Leopards look similar to Jaguars but are smaller in size and have smaller rosettes with no central dots. The typical weight range is 40-70 kg (88-154 lb).

6. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)

The cheetah is the fastest land animal. With a typical weight between 21-72 kg (46 and 159 lb), it is the sixth-largest cat species in the world. Cheetah is found mainly in Africa with a small population in Iran. Historically, these large cats were found throughout India. The government of India reintroduced cheetahs in the wild in 2022 in central India.

7. Snow leopard (Panthera uncia)

The snow leopard is not a Leopard subspecies. Its binomial name is Panthera uncia. Snow leopards are found in Asia, from Siberia to the Upper Himalayan mountains. With a typical weight in the range of 22 to 55 kg (49 and 121 lb), snow leopards are the seventh biggest cats.

8. Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx)

Eurasian Lynx is a wild cat found in Europe, Central Asia, Siberia, and rarely in the Himalayan mountains. Eurasian Lynx weighs 10-30 kg (22-66 lb) and is the largest Lynx species in the world.

9. Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi)

Sunda Clouded leopards are found exclusively in Sumatra and Borneo islands in Southeast Asia. Sunda clouded leopards vary in weight from 12 to 26 kg (27-57 lb).

10. Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)

Unlike the Sunda clouded Leopard which is limited to only two islands, Clouded leopards have a large geographical range. They are found in the eastern Himalayas, Bangladesh, Thailand, Myanmar, Southeastern China, and Malaysia. The typical weight range of clouded leopard is 10-23 kg (22-51 lb).