A full grown tiger requires an average of 15 pounds of meat a day to survive. Click on the icons below to learn where big cats live, what they eat, how they hunt and how they reproduce. You can even pet a big cat in Zoobooks Virtual Zoo!

The major difference between big cats and small cats is that a big cat can roar but cannot purr. This describes leopards, lions, tigers, and jaguars. Snow leopards and cheetahs cannot roar, but are still considered big cats because they share so many other big cat characteristics. People have loved and feared big cats throughout history. Ancient tribes worshipped them. Nations have placed pictures of them on flags, and kings and emperors have worn their skins as part of their royal regalia. To this day, many people would agree that big cats stand for courage and majesty.