Why are the Felinae becoming endangered?
The Felinae is a subclass of the class Felidae, which makes up the cat family. The Felinae are specifically the smaller cats, like the ocelot and serval, and a few medium sized cats, like the lynx and the cheetah. The domestic house cat is part of the Felinae group as well. Most people think of the bigger cats in the Felidae class when they think of endangered felines, but the smaller species are just as much at risk.
The most influential issue here is habitat loss. This includes fragmentation through logging and industrial expansion. There simply isn’t enough room for both humans and animals anymore. Human population will continue to rise to a point that the planet won’t be able to support us, let …show more content…
Both populations go down together. This prey ranges from rodents to deer. An example of a near extinction due to prey depletion is the Iberian lynx. The Iberian lynx’s main prey is the European rabbit. Between 1960 and 1990, the rabbits were almost wiped out with two imported diseases, and traps set for the rabbits still result in an annual 25% mortality rate for the Iberian lynx population in the Sierra Morena mountains (Nowell, 2001). Fortunately, in the recent years, the Iberian lynx has been moved from the critically endangered to the endangered list due to increased conservation efforts. The European rabbits have also been moved to the near threatened …show more content…
The most well-known pathogen is the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). It’s highly common in domestic cats, both free-roaming and as pets. It can be transmitted from the domestic cat to wild cats. The most common mode of transmission is biting. Another way is from mother and kitten interaction. Cheetahs specifically have a weaker defense to feline pathogens. For example, when infected with feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), domestic cats have a 5% mortality rate while cheetahs had up to a 60% mortality rate (Brown, Miththapala, and O'Brien, 1993). Domestic cats can be given vaccines for prevention and brought to a veterinarian when infected, both options that are not available for wild cats. The virus can take years to take effect, and may not lead to
The Felinae is a subclass of the class Felidae, which makes up the cat family. The Felinae are specifically the smaller cats, like the ocelot and serval, and a few medium sized cats, like the lynx and the cheetah. The domestic house cat is part of the Felinae group as well. Most people think of the bigger cats in the Felidae class when they think of endangered felines, but the smaller species are just as much at risk.
The most influential issue here is habitat loss. This includes fragmentation through logging and industrial expansion. There simply isn’t enough room for both humans and animals anymore. Human population will continue to rise to a point that the planet won’t be able to support us, let …show more content…
Both populations go down together. This prey ranges from rodents to deer. An example of a near extinction due to prey depletion is the Iberian lynx. The Iberian lynx’s main prey is the European rabbit. Between 1960 and 1990, the rabbits were almost wiped out with two imported diseases, and traps set for the rabbits still result in an annual 25% mortality rate for the Iberian lynx population in the Sierra Morena mountains (Nowell, 2001). Fortunately, in the recent years, the Iberian lynx has been moved from the critically endangered to the endangered list due to increased conservation efforts. The European rabbits have also been moved to the near threatened …show more content…
The most well-known pathogen is the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). It’s highly common in domestic cats, both free-roaming and as pets. It can be transmitted from the domestic cat to wild cats. The most common mode of transmission is biting. Another way is from mother and kitten interaction. Cheetahs specifically have a weaker defense to feline pathogens. For example, when infected with feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), domestic cats have a 5% mortality rate while cheetahs had up to a 60% mortality rate (Brown, Miththapala, and O'Brien, 1993). Domestic cats can be given vaccines for prevention and brought to a veterinarian when infected, both options that are not available for wild cats. The virus can take years to take effect, and may not lead to