Cat on a Stump
The cat was drawn for a little girl who is a cousin to my nephew and niece in Wyoming. This kitty cat is resting on a stump. Did you know cats can hear in a range beyond human ears. So cats can hear small sounds made by mice. Cats are highly valued as companions or pets but they also do a great service in killing (and usually eating) vermin like mice. Deer mice here in Utah often carry a dangerous virus called the Hantavirus. This virus can be contracted when you clean up mice droppings in a garage or a shed. So cats have an important role in helping keep this and other rodent populations in check. Our domestic cat has a scientific name. It is Felis catus. The name for the Cat family is Felidae. I am posting the way a cat is classified scientifically.
Kingdom: Animalia . . . because the cat is an animal. Animals are organisms that need oxygen.
most can move independently, most reproduce sexually (require a mother and father to make a baby), and need to eat food.
Phylum: Chordata . . . because cats have a spine and internal bones. So they are vertebrates. Vertebrae are the bones of the back.
Class: Mammalia . . . because cats are animals that have hair, give birth to live offspring (kittens), are warm blooded, and nurse their young with milk made in special mammary glands on the female's body.
Order: Carnivora . . . because cats are carnivores with special teeth (including sharp canine teeth) for killing and eating prey. Cats have a diet in the wild of mostly or entirely meat.
Family: Felidae . . . this is the name of the cat family. It includes Lions, Tigers (sorry not bears)...
but it also includes leopards, cheetahs, lynx, and bobcats, and of course cougars.
Genus: Felis . . . this is the Genus name for all the small cats, include the Chinese Mountain Cat,
Jungle Cat from India, European Wildcat, Black Footed Cat, Sand Cat and of
course the domestic cat you might have in your home.
species: catus . . . this is the species name for only the domestic cat. Never capitalize the species name of an organism. The Genus and species names are also put in italics. . .
if you are typing. You are supposed to underline the Genus and Species
names if you are writing them by hand.
Cougar on Moutain Top
Mountain Lion Walking
Cougars are also called Mountain Lions. I wrote all about cougars in a previous post. They are one of the most athletic animals that exist. They can jump out of a 30 foot tree without getting hurt.
Notice the difference between the Classification of a Cougar and the Classification of a domestic cat.
COUGAR DOMESTIC CAT
Kingdom: Animalia Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae Family: Felidae
Genus: Puma Genus: Puma
species: concolor species: concolor
See if you can answer these questions about cats and cougars:
-To what Family do both cougars and domestic cats belong?
-Do cats and cougars have a backbone or spinal chord? (Hint: look at the Phylum)
-Where do cougars and domestic cats separate on the classification charts?
By the way, I love a nice cat, but my allergies do not. . . very sad to be allergic to kitties...or I would certainly own a cat.
I am re-posting some previous cat drawings here as well. One of these cats is Pipes, a kitten who got caught in a sprinkler pipe when he was very small. To read the story of Pipes scroll down and click on "Older Posts".
Pipes the Kitty in the Pipes
Kitty on the Lawn
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