Zoo BI Cart Feline General

Question 1

Where do felines fall in the taxonomy of organisms?

Answer 1

Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Subphylum: Vertebrata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Carnivora; Family: Felidae

Question 2

Some general traits of mammals in Carnivora

Answer 2

Specialized in primarily eating meat
Large sharp teeth and powerful jaws.
Prey on other animals.

Question 3

How are cat species broadly divided into groups?

Answer 3

Cats are divided into big and small cats; the differentiation is the hyoid bone, which connects the tongue to the roof of the mouth.
Note: “Big cats” are typically larger than “small cats” but this means cannot be used to differentiate the two. The puma or mountain lion, despite its size, is not typically classified among the “big cats”, as it cannot roar, lacking the elastic hyoid of the genus Panthera, the large cats.

Question 4

Describe the hyoid bone in big cats vs. small cats

Answer 4

The hyoid bone connects the tongue to the roof of the mouth.
In big cats, the hyoid has an elastic segment, while that of small cats is hard all over.
The hyoid bone allows big cats to produce a roar and prevents them from purring in the same manner as small cats. (The exception is the snow leopard who is unable to roar but has a hyoid bone like the big cats.)

Question 5

Name the felines at the Zoo and divide them into the two feline categories

Answer 5

Big cats: African Lion, Snow Leopard, JaguarSmall cats: Ocelot

Question 6

Q: What types of teeth do felines have? (Just general categories, specifics are a different card)

Answer 6

Felines have a full set of teeth: canines, incisors, molars, premolars.

Question 7

Q: What are carnassial teeth?

Answer 7

Paired upper and lower teeth modified in such a way as to allow enlarged and often self-sharpening edges to pass by each other in a shearing manner. In members of the order carnivora (animals in other orders also have carnassial teeth, e.g., Tasmanian Devil), these are modified fourth upper premolar and the first lower molar (may vary by family), used for shearing flesh and bone in a scissor- or shear-like way.

Question 8

Q: Describe feline teeth/jaw characteristics and the purpose of these characteristics.

Answer 8

Their canines are long and used to slash, rip and tear meat.
They have sharp premolars and molars (cheek teeth), with cutting edges, used to shred meat.
Cats have the most highly developed carnassial teeth: carnassial are four modified cheek teeth that are shaped like knives or blades and act as scissors to shear flesh and bone; they help cut and chew off chunks of meat.
In the Carnivora Order, the cat-like species have tiny incisors and usually long, sharp canines.
They have relatively short jaws and thus a more powerful bite force.
Carnivorous animals (including cats) tend to have wide mouths in relation to their head size and highly developed jaw muscles, whereas a herbivore’s mouth tends to be narrower.

Question 9

Q: Compare jaw of carnivores vs. herbivores. (general)

Answer 9

Carnivorous animals tend to have wide mouths in relation to their head size and highly developed jaw muscles, whereas the herbivore’s mouth is narrower.

Question 10

Q: What is the term describing the general diet of felines?

Answer 10

Felines (Family Felidae) are obligate carnivores; their nutritional needs are met by eating a diet that consists of animal-based proteins. They must eat the tissue of other animals in order to thrive.

Question 11

Q: Describe feline fur.

Answer 11

Guard hair is the long, coarse hairs that form the protective top layer.
-This layer is a water-repellent barrier that shields skin against natural outdoor elements of sun, snow, and rain.
-Guard hairs are also the fur that sticks up when a cat is scared.
Undercoat is made up of shorter, softer, finer, more densely packed hairs.
-Provides additional insulation.
-During summer seasons, the underfur is thinner.
-In cooler environments the underfur is thicker to provide insulation.
Coloring:
-Coloring provides camouflage for both hunting and defense.
-Lighter color coats, such as a lion, can reflect light and blends into the grasslands.
-Snow leopards with their spotted [pdf text is cut off, but probably meant to describe how snow leopard pattern blends into rocky mountain terrain]
Also:
Cats spend a lot of time grooming to keep their coat clean and smooth by distributing natural skin oils.

Question 12

Q: What’s a good way to remember the general association between eye positioning and diet?

Answer 12

“Eyes in the front, the animal hunts. Eyes on the side, the animal hides.”

Question 13

Q: Describe feline adaptations for pursuing & consuming prey.

Answer 13

Eyes:
-Eye sockets face forward. Gives better depth perception to pursue prey. Eyes are set wide allowing a wider field of vision than that of humans.
-Eye sockets large in relation to skull may suggest an animal is nocturnal (as in cats). Larger eyes = better vision in dim light.
-Reflective layer behind retina called a tapetum lucidum (Latin for “shining layer”), which improves night vision. Layer reflects the light back through the retina causing the characteristic “eye shine”.
Mouth:
-Sharp teeth (details on separate card in feline section)
-Felines typically possess a shortened snout/jaw giving them a powerful bite force to restrain their prey.
-Papillae on tongues: tiny hooks on the upper tongue’s surface, which point backwards and aid in grooming and holding and lacerating food.
Paws:
-Large paws: good for climbing and gripping; act as shock absorbers when jumping; spread out weight to help them walk more quietly when stalking prey; can act like snowshoes as in snow leopards.
-Retractable, sharp claws to bring down prey. Retractable claws prevent wear while walking; keep them sharp. (Note: cheetahs do not have retractable claws.)
Other:
-Camouflage.
-Very flexible spine (more thoracic and lumbar vertebrae than humans) allows greater agility when chasing down prey.
-Able to rotate and bring the soles of their front paws together.
-Tail is important for balancing the weight of the body especially when they are pursuing prey.
-Thick whiskers that allow them to feel things that they may not see.

Question 14

Q: Give the scientific names of the felines at the Zoo

Answer 14

African Lion (Panthera leo), Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), Jaguar (Panthera onca), Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis)

Question 15

Q: What sense(s) do felines rely heavily on to locate prey?

Answer 15

Feline hunting behavior relies heavily on sight and hearing to locate prey.

Question 16

Q: Describe general feline hunting strategy, and note the physical traits that come into play at each step.

Answer 16

Many felines use the “stalk and pounce” technique to hunt their prey:
-Rely heavily on sight and hearing to locate prey. (Note: forward-facing eyes for better depth perception.)
-Once prey has been located, they crouch low to the ground and slowly creep toward their prey. (Large paws and soft pads distribute weight and keep movements quiet.)
-When the cat is within striking distance, they’ll spring forward onto the prey.
-They will use their sharp, retractable claws to hold down their prey, while they deliver the fatal bite (strong jaws) at the back of the prey’s neck.
Other cats prefer to ambush their prey.
Hunting skills and techniques are learned through practice.

Question 17

Q: What features aid cat balance and agility?

Answer 17

A feline’s compact, flexible body makes it easier to move and change directions. It has more lumbar and thoracic vertebrae than humans, enhancing spinal mobility and flexibility.
The tail on cats is usually long and flexible, aiding in balance.

Question 18

Q: Do cats hunt/live alone or cooperatively?

Answer 18

Lions are social, live in prides, and hunt cooperatively.
We’ve learned that a few other cat species occasionally do hunt cooperatively, but for the most part, cats are solitary hunters and only come together during the breeding season.

Question 19

Q: What is sexual dimorphism?

Answer 19

When two sexes of the same species exhibit different characteristics aside from differences in sexual organs.

Question 20

Q: Describe one key aspect of zoo keepers’ approach to facilitating medical care.

Answer 20

Training animals to perform certain tasks, e.g., present body parts for blood draws, grooming, and health checks; lying down on a platform for an ultrasound.
Benefits: Reduces the need for anesthesia, reduces stress, the activity is stimulating.
Training is often done with goat’s milk, a favorite among the cats.

Question 21

Q: What’s one food we use to train the cats that they really like?

Answer 21

Training is often done with goat’s milk, a favorite among the cats.

Question 22

Q: Describe the enrichment provided for the cats.

Answer 22

The cat exhibits have various levels and places for the animals to hide.
Large plastic trash containers are provided for tactile stimulation and play.
Balls encourage playing and pouncing.
The feline exhibits all have climbing structures and raised shelves or ledges for sleeping and resting.
Decorated boxes are stuffed with food to elicit natural behaviors of foraging.
Hiding food spices or other scents (e.g., cinnamon) and food in logs stimulate the cats into searching their exhibit. (Scents are incredibly important to cats. Cats rely heavily on their sense of smell as they use scents to communicate and gather information.)
The lion in the San Francisco Zoo loves smelling and rolling in rhino dung.
Cats are often rotated between exhibits providing the enrichment of new scents and areas to explore.
The climbing structures in the two cat grottos were paid for by the docents from enrichment funds raised by selling buttons.

Question 23

Q: Who is the Lion at the SFZG?

Answer 23

Our male lion, Jasiri, was born at the San Francisco Zoo to Jahari and Sukari in August 2015.
His parents both passed away in 2023.
Jasiri is a result of a breeding recommendation in the SSP. The SFZG participates in AZA’s Species Survival Plan (SSP) for African lions and has had a successful breeding program for African lions for decades.

Question 24

Q: Who is the Jaguar at the SFZG?

Answer 24

Our 11-year old male came from the Sacramento Zoo where he lived since 2013.
He was born at the San Diego Zoo in April 2012.
He weighs 125 lbs.
He is in this temporary housing until a new exhibit can be constructed.
Our male has a shortened tail due to an earlier injury.

Question 25

Q: Who is the Snow Leopard at the SFZG?

Answer 25

Our male snow leopard, Jimmy G, was born in Los Angeles and later moved to Columbus Zoo before coming to the SFZG.
He and the female Dawa are parents to the twin male and female cubs born at SFZG in June 2018. The cubs and mother Dawa are currently off exhibit.
The snow leopard cubs are a result of a breeding recommendation in the SSP. The SFZG has had a very successful breeding history of snow leopards, producing 30 snow leopards since 1969.

Question 26

Q: Who is the Ocelot at the SFZG?

Answer 26

Our female ocelot came to us from Los Angeles Zoo where it was temporarily housed when the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound was closed in February 2023.
The SFZG has been a successful breeding facility for ocelots as part of its SSP.

Question 27

Q: Why are large cats ecologically important?

Answer 27

Large cats are keystone species; they play an important role in keeping ecosystems in balance. They help keep prey populations in check which reduces overgrazing and the degrading of the health of their ecosystem.

Question 28

Q: What is one threat to Snow Leopards?

Answer 28

Snow leopards are especially affected by global warming. As snow leopards adjust to rising temperatures, they move up the mountains. Soon there will be no place for them to go.

Question 29

Q: Name some threats to felines.

Answer 29

-Habitat degradation. E.g., habitat separation by buildings, roads, parking lots, or other pieces of land. Cats require a large territory. (Conservation work: create wildlife corridors (details on a different card))
-Being hunted for their fur, bones, or other body parts. A growing trend is using feline bones, blood, and other parts of big cats in traditional Asian medicine to cure ailments though in fact they’ve been found to have no provable health benefits.
-Human-wildlife conflict, leading to killings and also loss of prey, habitat, etc. (details on different card)

Question 30

Q: What is a wildlife corridor and why are they helpful?

Answer 30

Wildlife corridors ensure connectivity between populations, enable animals to navigate fragmented landscapes. Since felines (e.g.) require large ranges to thrive, wildlife corridors are essential for feline conservation
-By connecting pieces of land, they help animals migrate, find mates, water or food.
They support
-genetic diversity,
-habitat expansion, and
-migration and dispersal.

Question 31

Q: What is human-wildlife conflict and how does it affect big cats? What can we do about it?

Answer 31

Human populations living near and spreading into wildlife habitat, creating problems for both humans and the animals.
Depletion of their natural prey due to habitat loss or overhunting leaves cats to turn to livestock for an easy meal.
For ranchers and herders, an attack on livestock may result in an unrecoverable economic loss. This threat to their livelihood can lead people to kill local cats in retaliation or as prevention of future losses.
Conservation approaches:
Using community-based approaches to counteract this trend, livestock protection techniques are being embraced and communities are adapting to alternative livelihood options through ecotourism and conservation careers, where a thriving cat population is beneficial for all.

Question 32

Q: What does CITES say about big cats? What can be done to help?

Answer 32

The growing international trade in big cat parts is prohibited as all big cat species except one are listed on CITES Appendix I. The African lion is the exception and listed on CITES Appendix II.
Strategies are being developed to strengthen law enforcement responses to combat illegal trade of wildlife.
Reducing the demand of felines and their parts requires informed consumers.
Notes:
Appendix I: species threatened with extinction. Trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
Appendix II: species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

Question 33

Q: What is one major aspect of the SFZG’s conservation of big cats?

Answer 33

SFZG participates in AZA’s SSP for feline species and has a successful breeding program for African lions, Snow Leopards, and Ocelots.

Question 34

Q: Name some hooks for getting guest attention with the feline cart

Answer 34

=Cats, general=
- Do you have a cat at home? (Then discuss similarities: glowing eyes, rough tongue, retractable claws, using tail for balance, etc.)
- Have you ever felt a cat’s tongue? (Have them touch sandpaper.) What do you think it does with that rough tongue? (Grooms fur, strips meat from bones.)
- How much sleep do you get each day? Lions rest for up to 20 hours per day! Snow leopards rest for up to 18 hours per day!
- Do you know why cat eyes glow? (Full explanation might be best for ages 13+.)
=Jaguar/Lion=
- Which of these two animals (point to lion and jaguar skull) do you think has a higher bite pressure? Jaguars are about half the size of a lion but have a bite pressure that is 2x as strong! This lets them use a unique hunting technique—biting straight through the skull. [Notes: If you want to be accurate, do not say “force”. Force and pressure are not the same, and the Lion has a higher bite force, but the Jaguar has a higher bite pressure. Pressure = Force/Area, measured in PSI. Many sources aren’t careful about physics.]
- Imagine three fierce jungle reptiles: a crocodile, an anaconda, a caiman. You might think that these tough predators would be invincible. But one apex predator hunts all THREE. Can you guess which one? The mighty Jaguar! [Notes: the crocodile in question is the orinoco crocodile.]
- Look at that tooth on the Jaguar. What do you think happened there? Do you think its tooth was repaired while it was alive? It was! The animals at the zoo receive excellent medical care from our veterinarians on staff, but did you know that, for some of the dental work, human dentists come in to perform the treatment?
- These cats eat only meat (obligate carnivores) and their stomachs cannot digest plants, but did you know that lions have been known to eat melons? (Tsamma melon.) Why do you think they would do that? To get the water!
- [TODO reword] something about scent glands in feet, like dogs, ever seen your dog kick its feet after going to the bathroom?
=Snow leopard=
- SFZG has successful breeding programs for our cats. We’ve had 42 Snow leopard cubs since 1958 (talking points also say 30 since 1969)! Jimmy G. (the male snow leopard that guests see) is a father of two, but his cubs are off exhibit.
- How far can you jump? Snow leopards can jump 50 ft! …segue to other adaptations.
- How much space do you think a snow leopard needs to survive? In Mongolia where prey is sparse, up to 1000 sq. km. / 380 sq. mi. That’s as large as the whole SF peninsula! …segue to habitat loss, fragmentation, ranching.
- Did you know the snow leopard had never been photographed before 1971?!
- [for snow leopard bag] Show images in notebook for “can you spot the snow leopard?”