The order we work in
When compiling a species profile, references are consulted in a set order, and the first level that answers the question is the one we use.
- Red List assessments for conservation category, population trend, range and documented threats.
- Specialist group material, principally the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group, for distribution, taxonomy and ecology.
- Peer-reviewed field studies and reviewed species accounts for measurements, diet and behaviour.
- Institutional profiles from museums, zoological institutions and established conservation organisations, for longevity records and life-history detail.
- General reference works, used only for context and never as the sole source for a number.
When sources disagree
Published measurements for wild cats frequently conflict, usually because different studies sampled different populations. We handle that in three ways.
- We publish ranges rather than averages, so regional variation is visible instead of hidden.
- Where sexes differ substantially, we add a note rather than merging them into one misleading figure.
- Where an outlier cannot be traced to a documented specimen, it is excluded, and the range reflects the body of the literature rather than the single largest animal ever reported.
Unknown is a valid answer
Many small cats have never had their running speed measured, and several have never been the subject of a completed field study. Those fields say so. The alternative — repeating an unsourced number because a figure looks better than a blank — is how bad data spreads.
The reference registry
Each species profile lists the sources consulted for it. The full registry is below.
| Reference | What we use it for |
|---|---|
| IUCN Red List of Threatened Species | Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats. |
| IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group | Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid. |
| Panthera | Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats. |
| World Wildlife Fund | Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting. |
| Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute | Body measurements, longevity records and life-history notes. |
| National Geographic — Animals | General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology. |
| Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology | Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data. |
| CITES Appendices | International trade listings for felid species and their parts. |
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Federal listing status and recovery planning for cats occurring in the United States. |
| U.S. National Park Service | Long-running monitoring of North American carnivores inside protected areas. |
| Snow Leopard Trust | Long-term ecological study of snow leopards and high-mountain prey systems. |
| Cheetah Conservation Fund | Research on cheetah biology, speed measurement and human-wildlife conflict. |
| Wildlife Conservation Society | Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring. |
| Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation | Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids. |
| Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance | Wetland felid research, distribution records and conservation planning. |
| PICA — Pallas's Cat International Conservation Alliance | Range-wide status review and field ecology of the Pallas's cat. |
| Iberian Lynx Ex-situ Conservation Programme | Annual census figures and reintroduction reporting for the Iberian lynx. |
| LIFE Lynx-Connect (European Commission LIFE programme) | Population recovery monitoring across Spain and Portugal. |
Units and conversions
Source figures are recorded in metric units, because that is how the literature reports them, and converted to United States customary units for display. Conversion happens once, at the point of display, so figures are never rounded twice. Lengths under two feet are shown in inches; larger lengths in feet and inches.
Taxonomy
We follow the species-level taxonomy used by the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group, which recognises the splits established over the last two decades — the Sunda clouded leopard as separate from the mainland species, the two tiger cats, the Sunda leopard cat, and the African and European wildcats as distinct species. Where classification is genuinely unsettled, as with the pampas cat, the profile says so.
We do not maintain subspecies-level pages. Where a subspecies is significant to the conservation picture — the Amur leopard, the Asiatic lion, the Asiatic cheetah — it is covered inside the species profile.
Review cycle
Every species profile carries the date it was last checked, shown at the foot of the page. Profiles are reviewed at least once a year, and sooner when a new Red List assessment is published or a taxonomic change is accepted. Featured comparisons carry their own publication and review dates.
About the illustrations
The species artwork in this library is original work produced for these pages, drawn to a consistent style so that comparisons are not distorted by differences in photographic angle, lighting or distance. Illustrations are reference aids: for identification work in the field, use a photographic guide alongside them.
What this site is not
This is an educational reference. It is not a substitute for the primary literature, it does not provide guidance on keeping or handling animals, and it should not be used as the basis for management decisions. Where a question matters, follow the links to the underlying assessments and read them directly.