Cats (big)
| Except for the tiger, the lion is the largest member
of the cat family. A large male lion measures from 9 to 10 feet, including the tufted
tail, and stands more than 3 feet tall at the shoulders. He can weigh about 400 pounds.
His body is covered with short yellow-brown hair, and a coarse mane grows on his head,
neck, and shoulders. The female lacks a mane and usually is more slender and about a foot
shorter than the male. Much of the hunting is done by the female. The lion can slip unseen across the plains, and its jaws are so hinged that it can open its mouth 11 inches killing a zebra or a medium-sized antelope with one bite. Its upper canine teeth measure from 2 to 2 1/2 inches. The sickle-shaped claws, when extended from their sheaths, may be 3 inches long. The lion can span nearly 30 feet at one bound, jump over a barrier almost 6 feet tall, and dash a short distance at more than 50 miles an hour. |
| Lions Lions usually hunt at night. Although they will eat carrion, they prefer fresh meat, particularly that of the zebra, antelope, giraffe, and buffalo. The lion often hides beside a trail leading to a water hole and then pounces upon the shoulder or flank of a passing animal. When stalking a herd, the lion creeps up from the side toward which the wind is blowing, taking advantage of cover until the moment of the last quick rush. A pride of 4 to 12 lions sometimes hunts together, working as a team. The males roar loudly to scare up the game, while the females lie in wait along the trails to pounce on the scurrying animals. After the lionesses have had time to make a kill, the males stop roaring and come to eat. Usually the lion avoids humans. However, old ones too slow to catch game may become man-eaters. Occasionally, a young lion that gets a taste of human blood may continue to kill humans. |
| Tigers:
The largest of the cats is the tiger. It is as strong and fierce as it is big. The tiger's coat is often a bright golden color. It has black stripes on the head, body, limbs, and tail. Tigers prefer damp, thickly overgrown places such as dense jungles and river banks covered with reeds or brush. In such localities they stalk their prey at night. If necessary, they prowl about during the day. They prey upon many other wild animals. Wherever humans have domestic animals, tigers destroy a large number of cattle, horses, sheep, and goats. If hungry enough, a tiger can kill an ox about every five days, or from 60 to 70 a year. Unless it is cornered or greatly provoked, the tiger avoids the elephant, and it rarely attacks a large buffalo or bear. In battles with these animals the tiger is frequently beaten. Unlike most members of the cat family, tigers are good swimmers. They cross rivers readily in search of prey. Occasionally, to escape a flood or some other pressing danger, they even climb trees. Tigers do not naturally prey on people, but a few do become man-eaters when they lose the ability to kill their swifter natural prey. Broken teeth, broken claws, or failing strength may cause an old tiger to become a man-eater. Even young tigers may turn to killing humans if infected gunshot wounds or embedded porcupine quills make it hard for them to hunt. One tiger was said to have killed 127 persons in a single year. |
| Lepard/Panther
Is a large cat, closely related to the lion and tiger. Leopards vary greatly in size and markings. They weigh, on average, from 60 to 200 pounds and are about 84 inches long, excluding the 36-inch tail. Some leopards, however, can grow much larger. The leopard, like its cousin the jaguar, is normally a buff or tawny color with dark spots. The undersurface of the body is usually lighter in color. The leopard lives in bush and forest areas. It is agile, can climb trees, and is a remarkable jumper. Normally active at night, it attacks antelope, young cattle, pigs, and occasionally humans. The leopard that has completely black coloring is widely known as the black panther. This animal is more commonly found in the Far East than in the other areas where the leopard ranges. The cheetah, or hunting leopard, of India is a slim animal that is tamed and trained to aid in hunting. This leopard, the first cat to which the name leopard was applied, was once thought to be a cross between the lion and the pard, or panther. In running over short distances the cheetah is the fastest land animal. The ocelot is another leopardlike cat, with striped and spotted fur, found in tropical America and the extreme southwestern United States. A full-grown ocelot weighs 25 to 35 pounds. |
| Lynx/Bob Cat
So sharp is the sight of the lynx that the people of ancient times believed it could see even through a stone wall. That is why sharp-sighted people are still referred to as "lynx-eyed." The lynx is found in the northern regions of both the New and the Old World. It is smaller than the leopard and larger than the true wildcat, which exists only in Europe. The name wildcat is, however, applied in North America to various species of lynx. All have stumpy tails, long limbs, tufted ears, and large paws adapted for moving over snow. The lynx lives in forests and rocky places and is fond of resting stretched out on a tree limb in the sun. By night it hunts its food, which consists of birds and small animals. The sudden cry of a lynx at night is one of the most frightful sounds in the woods. Usually it consists of a single sharp howl. Then there is silence. The creatures on which the animal preys, such as rabbits or quail, seek to escape notice by lying perfectly still in the darkness. The lynx, unable to distinguish the exact position, crouches down ready for a leap, then emits its piercing cry. The timid victim, startled by the fearful sound, cannot help jumping convulsively. At that instant the lynx strikes and kills. The lynx has heavy gray fur mottled with brown. The bobcat, or bay lynx, is common to many parts of the United States and has yellowish brown fur tinged with red. The scientific name of the lynx is Felis lynx and of the bobcat, F. rufus (see Cat). |
Tigers: Str 5, Dex 4, Stamina 5, Wits 1, Perception 3, Alertness 3, Athletics 4, Brawl 3, Acrobatics 2, Intimadation 3, Stealth 3 Health OK(x4), -1(x3), -3, -5 Attack: Bite Str+2, Claw 7 dice Lion: Str 4, Dex 3, Stamina 3, Wits 1, Perception 3, Alertness 3, Athletics 2, Brawl 3, Acrobatics 1, Intimadation 3, Stealth 3 Health OK(x3), -1(x3), -4, -5 Attack: Bite Str+2, Claw 7 dice Lepard/Panther: Str 4, Dex 5, Stamina 4, Wits 1, Perception 3, Alertness 3, Athletics 5, Brawl 3, Acrobatics 3, Intimadation 2 Stealth3 Health OK(x3), -1(x2), -3, -5 Attack: Bite Str+2, Claw 6 dice Linx/Bob Cat: Str 3, Dex 4, Stamina 3, Wits 1, Perception 4, Alertness 6, Athletics 5, Brawl 3, Acrobatics 3, Intimadation 2, Stealth 3 Health OK(x3), -1, -2, -3, -5 Attack: Bite Str+2, Claw 6 dice |