Each cat seeks out diff erent prey. Lions chase down zebras and cape buff alo. Tigers prefefer deer and water buff alo. Jaguars eat fi sh and crocodiles. Leopards hunt impalas and monkeys.ys.


e do n ze ras a d c


er deer a d wa er buff lo. J gu h a d cr codiles. L d m


e buff lo. Tiger s e


s hunt im T ese big cats sit at the top of the food


chains in their ecosystems. T ey are all apex predators. Apex predators keep their habitat healthy. T ey keep the number of plant-eating animals down, so plants have a chance to grow. T ey pick off sick and wounded members of a herd. Without big cats, the ecosystem would be out of balance.


Who’s Who Among Big Cats


How to tell these big cats apart? Look at their fur:


Leopards have yellow coats with dark spots called rosettes. The edges of each rosette are smooth and circular.


Jaguars have rosettes, too, but they have irregularly shaped borders and a black dot in the center.


A leopard scales a tree.


Tigers are the only big cats with stripes. Their fur is mostly orange with vertical, black stripes.


Lions have light-brown or tawny fur. Their tails are tipped with a tuft of black hair at the end. Males have long, shaggy manes.


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