Quiz: Can you identify these unusual wild cats?

Big cats, not-so-big cats, plus adorable wild felines you’ve never even heard of. Can you name them all and do you know where to find them? Let’s find out…

3 mins

Cats of all shapes and sizes are often the highlight of our wildlife trips. There’s nothing like a big cat sighting - a lion or leopard on safari in Africa, for example. 

Of course, there are plenty of wild cat species out there, well over 30. Some are rare, some stay well hidden and others are quite vulnerable. See many you can identify with this quiz. You might find a few handy hints here.

1. Can you identify this medium-sized wildcat, found in Africa, Central Asia and beyond?

Caracal

Lynx

Asian golden cat

Leopard

2. Can you name this large, spotted wildcat, which doubles as the world’s fastest land animal?

Jaguar

Cheetah

Leopard

Bobcat

3. Can you name this American feline?

Ocelot

Margay

Serval

None of the above

4. Can you identify this petite wild cat, native to Borneo and Sumatra?

Oncilla

Fishing cat

Flat-headed cat

Fox cat

5. There are wild cats called ‘wildcats’ from two different parts of the world. Can you tell which region this one’s from?

Europe

Africa

No idea

Yep, still no idea

6. Can you identify this distinctive spotted-and-striped African wild cat?

Pallas’s cat

Savannah cat

Striped cheetah

Serval

7. This petite wild cat, native to south and east Asia, shares a name with one of the well-known big cats. What is it?

Pumapard

Lion cat

Leopard cat

Tigrillo

8. Can you identify this striking grey wild cat, found in the steppes of Central Asia?

Kodkod

Pallas’s cat

Asian bobcat

Sand cat

9. This slim, small, forest-dwelling wild cat is found in Central and South America. Can you remember its name?

Meerkat

Margay

Oncilla

Nice try! It’s another ocelot

10. Can you identify these medium-sized wild cats, that you’d find roaming through the Americas?

Binturong (bearcat)

Puma

Jaguarundi

Jaguar

11. This vulnerable Central American cat is often called ‘the northern tiger cat’. Do you know its other name?

Amur

Oncilla

Tigeray

Oncilot

12. Can you identify this cat, the smallest in the Americas and found only in Chile?

Kodkod

Andean mountain cat

Colocolo

Pudu

14. Can you identify this large and fearsome cat, found everywhere from Canada to the Andes?

Leopard

Canadian lion

Andean mountain cat

Cougar

15. This cat is the world's smallest, and so rare its only been spotted in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. Can you name it?

Rusty-spotted cat

Cheetah cat

Black-footed cat

Indian cat

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