Looking for Big Cats Big cats are found around the world in many types of habitats and climates. Tigers are found the farthest north. One species lives in the snow-covered mountains of Siberia. Jaguars favor the steamy rain forests
and sunny grasslands of Central and South America. Lions primarily prowl the plains of central and southern Africa. A few live in Asia. Leopards—the most widespread of all the big cats—are found in parts of Africa and Asia.
Clashing with Big Cats But wherever they live, every big cat shares one big problem: habitat loss. As human populations grow, people take over more land for homes, businesses, and farms. T is leaves fewer places for wild animals. To cope with their shrinking world, big cats
sometimes prey on valuable livestock. T is causes another big problem: confl icts with humans. When big cats kill or hurt livestock, farmers get upset. T at’s because livestock are the only way many of them can support their families. Angry farmers sometimes shoot or poison big cats. T at’s not the only danger to big cats.
Sometimes big cats are poached, or killed illegally, for their body parts. Some cultures make “medicines” from big cat skin, whiskers, teeth, and bones. Combined, these challenges really harm big cats. Of all the big cats, tigers face the gravest risk of extinction. Only a few thousand tigers are leſt in the wild. It is thought that there are more tigers in captivity in the United States alone than in the wild throughout the world. In the 1800s, millions of lions roamed
Africa and Asia. Today, only a fraction of this number
remains. Clashes with humans and illegal hunting have taken a toll on leopards and jaguars, too.
jaguar jaguar
“Jaguar” comes from the Native American word “yajuar.” It means “he who kills with one leap.”
Where to Find
This map shows approximate ranges of jaguars, leopards, lions, and tigers.
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