Felidae, 源自拉丁文 fēlis（"猫"），意指该科的所有成员都是与猫有关的动物.Felidae, from Latin fēlis (“cat”), in reference to the fact that all the members of this family are cat-related animals.

種的俗名 Common names of members

家猫, 豹, 虎, 獅, 猞猁, 虎貓/美洲豹貓, 藪貓, 美洲獅.

Domestic cats, leopards, tigers, lions, lynxes, ocelots, servals, cougars.

分佈 Distribution

除南极洲、澳大利亚和大多数大洋岛屿外的所有大陆.

All continents except Antarctica, Australia, and most oceanic islands.

體型 Size

牠们的体型从长 35 公分、重 900 克到长 3 米、重 260 公斤不等.

They vary in size from 35 cm in length and 900 g to 3 m and 260 kg.

形態描述 Morphology

与食肉目动物中的其他成员相比,牠们的牙齿相对较少,头骨较短.牠们大多有一双大眼睛,视力极佳,便于夜间捕猎.牠们有脚趾（站立时脚趾着地）,前足有五个脚趾,后足有四个脚趾.牠们的爪子弯曲而有伸缩性.牠们的鼻子略微突出于下颌.牠们皮毛的颜色、长度和密度多种多样.毛色从白色到黑色不等,毛的花纹从独特的小斑点、条纹到小斑点和花冠.在绝大多数猫科动物中,尾巴的长度是体长的三分之一到一半.

Relatively less teeth and shorter skull compared to other members in Carnivora. Most of them have large eyes with excellent vision for them to hunt at night. They are digitigrade (stands with its toes on the ground) and have five toes on their forefeet and four on their hind feet. Their curved claws are protractile. Their noses project slightly beyond the lower jaw. The colour, length and density of their fur are very diverse. Fur colour covers the gamut from white to black, and fur patterns from distinctive small spots, and stripes to small blotches and rosettes. In the great majority of cat species, the tail is between a third and a half of the body length.

生態與棲息地 Habitat & Ecology

陆地栖息地：森林、稀树草原、山脉等.

Terrestrial habitats: forests, savanna, mountains, etc.

食性 Diet

牠们都是食肉动物,几乎可以捕食任何动物.

They are all obligate carnivores, preying on almost any animal possible.

繁殖 Reproduction

大多數一雄多雌（一只雄性与多只雌性交配）.雄性通常会争夺自己的领地,并与领地内的雌性交配.牠们是连续繁殖的动物,可以在一年中的任何时间分娩.除狮子外,猫科动物中的雄性不会照顾牠们的后代.幼崽完全由母亲抚养.母亲去狩猎时,会把幼崽藏起来.

Most are polygynous (one male mating with multiple females). Male often fight for their own territory and will mate with females within their territory. They are continuous breeders which can give birth at any time of the year. Except for lions, male in felidae will not take care of their offspring. The cubs are raised by their mother solely. While the mothers go hunting, she will hide the cubs.

已知的物種

Total species known

42

博物館收藏的物種

Species in the collection

0

在香港已知的物種

Species in Hong Kong

1

Reference

-Sunquist, M., Sunquist, F. (2002). Wild Cats of the World. The University of Chicago Press.

Pocock, R. I. (1917). VII. — On the external characters of the Felidæ. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 19(109), 113-136. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222931709486916.