Welcome to Felidae Conservation Fund's Education section. Our 37 Felidae Species page below includes interesting information and facts on all felid species, on their natural habitats, and the challenges they face for sustaining healthy populations. This page will also offer modules to test your knowledge of felid species. Visit our CAT Aware page to learn about our program for K12 schools that is currently in development. We believe children are an important audience to include in conservation messaging and that children who grow up with a sensitivity to the environment, and its fauna will better understand the benefits to human beings, and the significance of our felid species in the eco-systems of the world.

We also share important information and instructions on hiking and recreating in mountain lion habitat, so that we can co-exist evenly with these magnificent cats for decades to come.

37 Felidae Species

The Felidae cat family taxonomy has been the subject of intense debate in years past. Several classification schemes have been proposed, dividing the cat family into anywhere from 2 to twenty-three genera, with the number of felid species ranging from 36 to 39. Fortunately, the expanding field of molecular genetics is rapidly evolving to explain and resolve the questions of felid phylogeny once and for all. Much of the past confusion has stemmed from the very similar morphology of cat species, despite the fact that felid species have the greatest range in body size and weight of all carnivore species, ranging from a seven-hundred pound tiger to a two-pound rusty-spotted cat. Read More.

CAT Aware

Felidae is working on an exciting and revolutionary model for K12 schools that we hope to implement in a select group of California schools within one year. We are drawing on the experience of the initiators of the CAT project in Cle Elum, Washington, where an education project for children has been underway since 2001.

This collaborative effort will serve as a model for similar research in other areas where human growth is increasingly confronting native wildlife. This project serves as an excellent educational archetype for integrating wildlife science, conservation, education, and technology, with community planning and participation. Read More..