Pantherinae
Pantherinae
Pantherinae is a subfamily of the cat family (Felidae). It includes the big cats people know best: lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, snow leopards, and clouded leopards.
What makes Pantherinae special
- These cats are famous for their powerful bodies and hunting skills.
- They have a special vocal system that lets most of them roar. The roar is helped by long vocal cords.
- The snow leopard is an exception: its vocal cords are shorter, so it roars differently or not as strongly.
Where they came from
- The Pantherinae group split from other cats around 9 to 16 million years ago, in the Late Miocene period.
Living groups (the two living genera)
- Neofelis (clouded leopards)
- Species: Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi)
- Range: Clouded leopards live from Nepal through Southeast Asia to southern China; Sunda clouded leopards live in parts of Sumatra and Borneo
- Status: Both species are listed as Vulnerable (at risk of extinction in the wild)
- Panthera (the “true” big cats)
- Jaguar (Panthera onca): lives in the Americas; Near Threatened
- Leopard (Panthera pardus): broad range in Africa and Asia; Vulnerable
- Lion (Panthera leo): Africa and India; Vulnerable
- Snow leopard (Panthera uncia): mountains of Central Asia; Vulnerable
- Tiger (Panthera tigris): Southeast Asia and parts of Asia; Endangered
Fossils and evolution
- Pantherinae also includes several extinct relatives known from fossils. These help scientists understand how today’s big cats evolved and spread around the world.
Taxonomy in brief
- The group was named Pantherinae by Pocock in 1917 to include Panthera (and originally Uncia). Today, Uncia is merged into Panthera, and Neofelis is also part of Pantherinae.
Conservation note
- Big cats face threats such as habitat loss, poaching, and conflict with people. Many Pantherinae species are considered Vulnerable or Endangered, so protection and conservation efforts are important.
This page was last edited on 1 February 2026, at 21:23 (CET).