JIRI VACLAVEK / SHUTTERSTOCK (RUSTY-SPOTTED CAT); PARDOFELIS PHOTOGRAPHY / ALAMY (JAGUARUNDI).
REINHARD DIRSCHERL / ALAMY (CROCODILE, PAGES 18-19) SEPTEMBER 2019 • NAT GEO KIDS (^17)
PERSONALITY QUIZ: WHICH WILD CAT ARE YOU?
natgeokids.com/september
MORE COOL CATS!
ASIATIC
WILDCAT
Sand cats live in the
deserts of North
Africa and the Middle
East. Thick fur on their
paws protect them
from the hot sand and
helps them walk with-
out sinking.
Jaguarundis—
native to
southern North
America, Central
America, and
South America—
can make at least
13 distinct calls,
more than most
other wild cats.
Margays, native to Central
and South America, can climb
headfirst down a tree.
Asiatic golden cats
are known as fire
tigers in the
Southeast Asian
countries of
Myanmar and
Thailand.
Excellent swim-
mers, Geoffroy’s
cats are often
spotted crossing
some of South
America’s fastest-
moving streams
and rivers.
Shy and rarely seen, many of the world’s smallest wild cats
are experts at avoiding attention. Check out some of these
lesser known felines caught on camera.
India and Sri Lanka’s
rusty-spotted cat is
about one foot long (not
including its tail) and
weighs three pounds.
Asiatic wildcats—
native to several
countries in South
Asia—are often
spotted hiding in
abandoned rock crev-
ices or burrows built
by other animals.
ASIATIC
GOLDEN
CAT
RUSTY-SPOTTED CAT
JAGUARUNDI
SAND
CAT
GEOFFROY’S CAT
MARGAY