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Along with size difference, the behavior of cats can vary quite a bit, especially where they are in competition with each other.
Cougars, leopards and cheetahs are approximately the same size although cheetahs are very slim and long-legged.
Cheetahs are adapted for running down their prey, so have a shorter, higher skull with an enlarged nasal cavity and reduced canines. Their claws resemble dog claws as they are used to help them get a good grip on the ground while running and they lack a sheath of skin to retract them into (which all other cats have). They are taller than other similar sized cats because of their long legs. They do some stalking, but the final approach on larger prey is a full out run at up to 70mph.
Pumas (cougars) are considered using molecular evidence to be more closely related to cheetahs than other cats, and do have some morphological similarities. Pumas are stalk-and-pouncers though. Males weigh 62 to 187lbs depending on where they are found (larger to the northern and southern extremes of their range), and weigh 40 to 60% more than females in the same area. They have the largest range of any mammal in the western hemisphere besides humans. Like the leopard this is partly due to their taking any prey they can catch from as small as a mouse to as large as a moose.
A panther is any single-colored cat and originally referred to the black leopard, in which case there is no difference from regular leopards other than color. It can also be used to refer to black jaguars, which are the same as their normal colored counterparts, and pumas.
Jaguars show a similarity to leopards, but their rosettes usually have a dot or two in the center, where a leopards' rosettes usually lack this dot. Jaguars have a larger, blockier head than leopards do. Females weigh 90 to 158lbs, males 123 to 225lbs., again depending on where in its range it is found. Their behavior is a bit different than most other cats, as they are very at home on the ground, in the trees, in the water, and in caves. They are very good swimmers and fishers and are adept at hunting in trees.
Female leopards weigh 30 to 50% less than males in the same area, and males weigh 68 to 198lbs, once again depending on where in their range they are found. They are more arboreal than many other cat species, depending on which other large cats (tigers or lions) are around. In areas where these animals are absent they spend a lot more time on the ground. They will cache their kills in trees to keep them away from scavengers until they are done with the carcass. Leopards are capable of carrying something up to three times their own weight in their mouths into a tree. One leopard was observed to climb right up a tree with a 6.5ft diameter. They have a very large geographic range partly because they will eat anything from a large "bug" to a large hoofed mammal.
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