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Maybe you have ever wondered, like me, if the tiger is or is not a feline. In order to find the answer, you have to find the differences with felids. And that is what I am going to do today in The Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia.
Felids are colloquially called felines, but for science they are not. They are carnivorous mammals, muscular, with retractable claws, slender body, acute hearing, short snout and excellent eyesight. They are the stealthiest hunters.
It must be taken into account that the felids (Felidae family) are divided into two large subfamilies, the pantherines (Pantherinae) and the felines (Felinae).
The big difference between these two is that the former roar and are larger, while the latter meow and are smaller and more domesticated. We already have many clues that lead us to know what a tiger really is, right?
Cats are felines, with the genus felis, while tigers are pantherines, with the genus phantera. Therefore, cats and tigers are felids, but only kittens can truly be called “felines,” because tigers are actually “panterines.” Having said all this, do you know what lions, jaguars and leopards are?
