Anyone who likes cats (guilty) invariably has a similar passion for big cats (guilty). After all, they are just cuddly kitties with bigger paws (and claws), aren’t they? It seems that attempts to classify tigers – a wonderful cat if ever there was one – have been flawed. A new genetic study has identified two groups from the so-called indonesian subspecies. They have dubbed the new discovery Panthera Tigris Jacksoni after tiger campaigner Peter Jackson.
Worrying though is the news that of the eight subspecies of Panthera Tigris, three are now extinct. 
I have a fondness for the mountain lion/cougar/puma. Perhaps it is because this is the species of large cat most closely related to our housecats. I read somewhere that they are the only large cat that can purr like a housecat.Visit me @ http://confessionsofalibertine.blog-city.com/
[Longrider replies] I didn’t know that. I wonder how I could test the theory? 😉
Can they? I always thought that the vocal structure only allowed for either purring or roaring, not both. I’ll have to read up on that.
I’d bet that most people weren’t aware of all those tiger subspecies. Ask the average person to name some species of tiger, and they’ll probably say Bengal, and then draw a blank. ;^) I’ve always been partial to the dimunitive Sumatrans, especially since the National Zoo here has them. I hope that no more tigers go extinct at the hands of poachers and developers, we’ve lost enough already!Visit me @ http://pimme.blog-city.com
[Longrider replies] While I hope so too, I am not overly optimistic.