Trivia question for Oct-09-2011

Carter loves all big cats so it is no surprise he picked this one for his trivia.  These guys rely on stealth and surprise to catch prey up to twice its own size and weight.

The species’ success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 36 mph, its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. They consume virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch. Its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains.

So here are Carter’s questions:  Tell us what this big cat is and tell us what is unique about their whiskers on their muzzle?  Also, these guys prey on up to 30 species of animals and will even eat one particular large insect when it gets very hungry, tell us which bug they will often eat?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out to Carolyn Smith Cutts from the Atlanta area for being the first to answer all our questions correctly. The big cat we featured is the Leopard. The leopard is the smallest of the four “big cats” in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat.

Their highly sensitive whiskers help them feel their way in the thick underbrush when it’s dark.  When prey is scarce, these guys have developed a liking for Dung Beetles which seems to hold them over until they can find regular food.  And here is an interesting facts that Carolyn also shared with us: “Did you know that another cool feature of these big cats are their tongues, which are covered with little hook-shaped spikes that help them lick all the fur meat off bones“. Here is more on these keen cats. Leopard

Thanks for playing along 😉