Other than the obvious one, size.
2006-07-23 07:59:21 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Some important physiological differences: house cats have a partially ossified (bony) structure known as a hyoid bone, in their throat around the voice box that allows them to purr but prevents roaring. Lions, jaguars, leopards and tigers lack this structure, which allows them to produce powerful roars (the snow leopard also lacks the structure but it is not known to roar, for some reason).
Lions are classified in the sub-order panthera (which includes all the above-mentioned big cats), and house cats are part of the felis sub-order. The mountain lion is also a felis cat, which makes it essentially a massively overgrown version of your household tabby (physically) - but with all the wild added in.
Lions and other panthera cats also have specific proportional differences, mostly in the skull - smaller eye orbits and longer noses to house the massive canine teeth.
Finally, lions are the only cats that have continuously growing hair - the mane (which puts them in company with humans - lions and humans are the only mammals with continuously growing hair on the head and face).
2006-07-23 16:39:31 · answer #1 · answered by Schrecken 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
First and the most obvious is in Size.
They also differ in behaviour. House cats are tame (which they have supposedly become due to the millions of years of evolution and due to the human 'interference'). Also house cats have developed the taste of human made food.( Though they still are capable of preying on other small animals) You cannot expect the tigers, leopards, cheetahs, lions and all the other wild cats to have packed or canned food? In fact they only eat what they kill, not even if it was killed by someone else.(Exceptions are the ones who are trapped in a zoo.) The claws of Wild cats are more larger and sharper than house cats. plus there are many more minute differences which are yet to be studied.
2006-07-23 08:14:45 · answer #2 · answered by tuhinrao 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Behaviorally they are actually quite similar outside of the domestication issue. Cats would display much of the same behavior as their larger counterparts if left to fend for themselves in nature, however one of the main differences would be that lions and big cats have learned to hunt in packs and in tandem due to the size prey that they pursue, whereas domestic cats tend to hunt alone. This is the primary difference, sociologically speaking.
2006-07-24 20:49:05 · answer #3 · answered by c_mtnboy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't be conscious of it a individual has plenty determination in the event that they fall in love. reason is going out the window. in spite of if there is an severe distinction in a while, there is desire for happiness. countless examine have been achieved on could-December romances, and located that distinction in a while had much less consequence on marriage than different issues. It would not make sense to me, yet examine is examine; and age distinction does no longer have plenty to do with marriages. in my opinion, i do no longer think of i could desire to have a relation deliver with a youthful female or an previous lady. 5 or ten years distinction could many times be ok. If one human beings is 30, and the different 20, it may in all probability be comfortable with me. yet, i could shun any relation deliver with a sixteen three hundred and sixty 5 days previous female if I have been 26. yet, like I stated interior the initiating, one would not have plenty determination in the event that they fall in love.
2016-12-10 12:54:15 · answer #4 · answered by lotta 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The first link does well in explaining the differences.
Some things that it discusses:
-All cats move in the same way, all cats can swim, and all
cats except the tiger and cheetah can climb
2006-07-23 14:44:45 · answer #5 · answered by fieldworking 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lions can eat housecats.
Housecats can't eat lions.
2006-07-23 08:42:45 · answer #6 · answered by Answers 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Small cats are weaker by nature so look for a relationship with a larger animal for protection.... such as a human... lions and tiger need no such protection because they are larger and by nature more aggressive....
2006-07-23 08:03:42 · answer #7 · answered by Keith T 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
At first it seems silly, but its actually a good question. Ya got me
2006-07-23 08:03:01 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
What they hunt and eat... you won't see house cats out hunting cattle.... Mooooo!! *GriN*
2006-07-23 08:08:15 · answer #9 · answered by ♥Tom♥ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋