Top 10 Smartest Big Cats

The Top Ten
1 Leopard The leopard is one of the five "big cats" in the genus Panthera. It is one of the most adaptable and the most widespread big cat; it's secrets being:well camouflaged fur; its opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, and strength to move heavy carcasses into trees; its ability to adapt to various habitats ranging from rain-forest to steppe and including arid and mountainous areas; and to run at speeds up to 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph). The common name "leopard" (pronounced /ˈle-pərd/) is a Greek compound of λέων (leōn) ("lion") and πάρδος (pardos) ("male panther"). It lives throughout Asia (except for North Asia) and Africa, including Indonesia.

I don't care if cheetahs are really fast, or tigers and lions are strong, or even that jaguars are super stealthy. That is all that matters to you guys. Their best skills. But, leopards have it all, especially intelligence. They have learned to store their food and are great at teaching their cubs how to survive. Most of you are just picking favorites. I admit, leopards are my favorite big cats but they really and truly are intelligent creatures. Don't be lazy and pick the one that you like the most and that is super cute, because you know what? That is totally unfair to leopards. Seriously, scientists have PROVED that leopards are the smartest. Leopards are underrated, and cheetahs are overrated. It literally says that leopards are the smartest, but some of you people ignore that, or are too lazy to do some simple research. Leopards rule!

Leopards are the smartest of all big cats, if you don't think so do your research, but if your too lazy, I will tell you why...= It is the only big cat that has learned to store its food above ground from scavengers. It can carry prey twice its body weight high into the tops of the trees to save and eat at his leisure. Its brain power also gives it an advantage as a more cunning hunter.Any kind of leopard could be qualified as smartest, it could be snow, Asian, or black leopard. These creatures live alone and depend on themselves for food, water, territory, den sights, and hunting spots. Even when leopards first emerge from their dens at 3 months, they already know how to climb trees. And if you don't believe me when I say they are the smartest, look on Google, it literally says it. Scientist have proven this fact over and over again. They don't justify these facts based on their "coolness" or how they look, they base it on research and watching these animals closely. Every ...more

Leopards are smarter than you think. That why they're smart. You don't know their limit. Leopards are the most widespread creatures for their size (i.e. they hunt from South Africa to Siberia, from Arabia to Sri Lanka). Why did Romans rule medieval Europe? They used their brains: they had tactics and strategies that made the others feel just like how you felt when you found the answer to a seemingly impossible riddle: obvious and embarrassed. Leopards are like the Romans of cats. The 'climbing-trees' strategy, a variety of ambushing tactics are just a few of the leopards brainstorms. Okay, that would've been obvious for people like us, but hey, we're HUMANS, are we? Leopards have extreme senses; these need a big brain to fill all that information in. They are one of the most agile creatures; well, you can't be a gymnast just with a flexible body, right? All these need brains. (tip: if you're a gymnast, you can use this information to prove you're smart).

You can say that ...more

Did you know that earlier in certain regions the leopard was known as the 'king of the forest'? The leopard shows awesome adaptability and stuff that just goes to show that leopards are the smartest big cats. I totally agree with "Leopards are smarter than you think...". You guys are just watching fighting videos and saying that since this one won he should be the smartest. That's like giving the school bully a PhD on History and Science. And Math. If you still don't believe us go to Wikipedia and get a slap on your face.

2 Cheetah The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a large cat and native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at 80 to 128 km/h (50 to 80 mph) with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being 93 and 98 km/h (58 and 61 mph), and as such has several adaptations ...read more.

I love cheetahs. They're My favorite wild animal by far. When you first think of a cheetah, you think speed. But I think fast AND intelligent. They look smart too. They are so graceful and gorgeous. Very unique. Wow. You can use a lot of adjectives to describe them. I'm not only saying this because they're awesome, but it's true. I know that leopards are smart but I think cheetahs are the smartest. How could you not fall in love with this animal? I love them so, so much. The moms are great at teaching their cubs how to hunt. These are the smartest!

Graceful, Gorgeous, deadly, intelligent. What else could you ask for? Amber eyes, a slender muzzle, a sharp gaze and dark tear lines with dappled gold-and-black fur. Also, it has slim, delicate looking legs built for speed but that can beat u up. Snow leopards, on the other paw, have a "white" or usually yellowish pelt, a beard-like thing on it's chin, a wide, flat nose and head, big clumsy paws, brownish spots, and isn't even CLOSE to the beauty, grace, strength, speed, and power of the cheetah.

Cheetahs are probably the most intelligent of all of the big cats(though it isn't technically a big cat). Like lions, they sometimes hunt in groups, and they are also the only big cat that can be successfully tamed(it is actually quite easy even by the standards of feral domestic cats). This would indicate a higher amount of social intelligence than the entirety of the Feline family!

Cheetahs really are smarter than tigers. For a tiger rank of being smart it is a 6. For a cheetah being smart it is an 7. But the leopard really is the smartest, with a rank of 8, but I still vote for cheetahs.

3 Tiger The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus Panthera. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ungulates such as deer and wild boar. It is territorial and generally a solitary but social predator, requiring large contiguous areas of habitat, which support its requirements for prey and rearing of its offspring. Tiger cubs stay with their mother for about two years, then become independent and leave their mother's home range to establish their own. ...read more.

Although animal Intelligence is difficult to judge, the Tiger seems to be the smartest of the big cats, since it is a very versatile and individually cat, and though a solitary hunter, tigers do interact much more frequently than most would think. They do share their Prey with their family members, and males will let the cubs and females eat first. A males territory usually overlaps with those of several mates, who are closely related, similarly to a lion pride.male tigers will sometimes even take part in raising cubs. At least most trainers, keepers, biologists and big cat experts agree that they are smarter and batter at learning than lions.Their hunting method is more similar to that of the leopard. Tigers do have a larger brain relative to body size than other big cats, I think there's a good reason. However big cats are generally quite smart, and smartness varies amongst Individuals.

Tiger are very smart and I think they should be the first smartest big cat on the list because they are actually much smarter than leopards, and cheetahs. I am not just saying this it's true I looked it up on much more other websites and they all said tigers are much smarter. So I know tigers are the smartest big cat. That is truly a fact!

Many people think the dad will leave the Cubs but that is not true he will protect them for his life also there are many pictures of humans and other animals such as dogs being best friends with tigers lastly in circuses along time ago they would be trained to jump through hoops of fire look it up.

Very intelligent and beautiful cat. They're so intelligent that they imitate the sound of a bear's prey to lure them in. They also flip go for the bellies of crocodillians because of the armor on the croc's back.

They also let females and cubs eat first. How generous!

4 Snow Leopard The snow leopard (Panthera uncia), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus Panthera native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and is expected ...read more.

The snow leopard is known for its excellent stealth and intelligence I agree it's the fourth smartest but sadly they're endangered

Snow are the smartest and most beautiful big cats their are but I'm sad there are not much left

The snow leopard is a very amazing and fascinating animals ever!

The snow leopard is the most gorgeous cat I have ever seen. And the 3rd smartest too.

5 Jaguar The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus Panthera native to the Americas. With a body length of up to 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) and a weight of up to 158 kg (348 lb), it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the third largest in the world. Its distinctively ...read more.

Jaguars are strong and stealth they are the 4th biggest big cat after the leopard lion and tiger but Jaguars aren't as intelligent. But that doesn't mean they're to dum to hunt Jaguars normally use there teeth and claws to hunt less than using there brain example leopards use mostly there brain teeth and agility to hunt for cheetahs they use speed stealth and intelligence for tiger they use bite and stealth but sometimes can make intelligent decisions

They know how to hunt really well to take down big prey. Also a mother knows that her cubs are helpless at berth so she knows to protect them very well.

They don't kill people and tigers leave them alone if they are together. There teeth are as long as tigers. Awsume. What cat stirs us more than a black jag.

They seems smart overall and smarter when killing, I don't see why cheetah is 1 they just run fast and that's it.

6 Cougar The cougar, also commonly known as the mountain lion, puma, panther, or catamount, is a large felid of the subfamily Felinae native to the Americas.

Cougars live from the tip of South America to the tip of North America. They have to survive in extreme cold and dense jungle and live amongst larger predators like Jaguars and Bears.

Cougars are agile and they're very smart. They live near people's area and they're very brave too!

My gran once saw a cougar when she was coming home from school.

Taking in all the abilities of all big cats this one has the best overall scores in all categories. Runs 50mph, incredible vision, excellent climber, very stealthy, has the most powerful bite pound for pound, is able to leap 40 ft. horizontally and 15 ft. vertically. Amazing animal.

7 Lion The lion (Panthera leo) is a large cat of the genus Panthera native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator; although some lions scavenge when opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, the species typically does not actively seek out and prey on humans. ...read more.

In the cat family, the lion as the greatest memory capacity and intelligence is related with the capacity of the memory. Lions are the only social cats. In nature social animals are generally more intelligent they have a lot more to learn. Lions do very complicated group hunting involving coordination, cooperation, great communicating and each one knowing his role. Depending on the type of preys, the role of each lions may change. So not only as a single feline a lion learn to hunt by himself but in a group it could have deferent roles depending the preys. Lions used many different hunting tactics. In the cat family lions are the most intelligent feline.

Firstly, I don't believe that any particular species of Big Cat is more intelligent than another. Each is specially adapted to their habitat and they are all successful in surviving and becoming top predators in their own right.

Secondly, he Big Cats are anatomically very alike and thus brain size is negligible. As in humans, intelligence varies towards the individual rather than species or race.

Lions are the only truly social member of the Cat family. This in itself takes a certain amount of intelligence. The intelligence to co-operate and be socially aware in dealing with other members of their own species. Yet Lions also survive as solitary hunters during their lives.

Male Lions in particular spend long periods as nomads hunting and fighting for themselves when not part of a pride. I have seen on several occasions a single male Lion take on African Buffalo and Crocodile successfully. Although such kills are fraught with danger and thus quite rare.

Yet ...more

It is not a matter of an opinion but a fact. First social animals are smarter and the lions are the only true social felines. Secondly the 2016 intelligent test reported in Science America. 1) the hyena 2) the lion 3) the leopard 4) and last the tiger. The lions were the best investigators. Curiosity is also a sigh of intelligence. Lions are not only regular single hunters. They are the only one to do group and synchronized hunting. They use different types of group hunting. The lion used far more complex communication than any other cats. The lion is the most intelligent big cat.

Oh come on. 1, canines are smarter then felines. Lions live in packs which no other feline has the intelligence to do that. Now that is canine intelligence. 2, they have intelligence to place their pack members. Females hunt together. Males defend the pride and conquer other prides. Now that is human intelligence.

8 Lynx A lynx is any of the four species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx, or bobcat) within the medium-sized wild cat genus Lynx. The name lynx originated in Middle English via Latin from the Greek word λύγξ, derived from the Indo-European root leuk- ('light, brightness') in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes.

Lynx are able to use emotion in their decisions and that is amazingly intelligent. They learn by themselves how they like to hunt and what is their prey. For example, as the other lady had pionted out lynx won't attack humans. Their parents never taught them that. Their parents would have taught them to stay away. They learned that humans were safe, but they also know that humans aren't prey. My final piont is that lynx are one of those animals that can be tamed and kept at a house in some states. The lynx have to learn all kinds of new things, but their instincts to kick in when they are used to the house. People are a lot like animals. Altho peoplel hate being compared to wild animals it is true, but I'm not talking about how we act. Instead, I'm talking about how we problem solve. Some people may argue, but animals are very intelligent creatures and can most deffintally problem solve.

As a domestic cat owner and person who has seen Lynx Lynx Lynx (Eurasian Lynx in Finland) I must tell you guys that this big cat really knows whats going on. It wont attack humans because Lynx Lynx do understand that human is more dangerous than deer. It can steadily surprise you just 3-5 meters from you, mostly at night time when he does understand that his superious vision compared to human. If you get scared he usually does escape by first taking distance with long jump and then just walk away but if you are not afraid, you can snap photo of him but don't act too soft as some bunny or deer because Lynx Lynx might attack you!

I think that lynx are truly extraordinary animals, with superb climbing and jumping abilities. So in my opinion, lynx should be the smartest, even smarter than cheetahs, but not leopards. They may not be fast but they are very unique.

Lynxes think before they act and know what prey will fit their needs. Very independent. Except there are only 3 big cats: Lion, Tiger, Snow Leopards. Lynxes are under the medium cat category.

9 Panther

There are such a dominating animal that can outsmart mostly anything

Panther are black leopard or jaguar y are they so loo...

I love the panther cat they're so cute

Because they are skilled hunters

10 Liger

Just because a liger is a combination if tiger and a lion; it doesn't make them double smart. Dude, that's like saying you are as smart as your mom and dad combined. That's just insulting to your parents.

Ligers are not in the wild so they are dumb when it comes to survival

They have tiger and lion in them that should make them double smart.

They are double smart so they are very intelligent

The Contenders
11 Clouded Leopard Native to the foothills of the Himalayas and parts of China and Southeast Asia, the Clouded Leopard is known for its beautiful cloud-like spots on its coat. It's an agile climber and spends much of its time in trees. It preys on a variety of animals including small mammals and birds.

They are so smart at catching there they hang from trees with there tail and choose there food

12 Ocelot The ocelot, also known as the dwarf leopard, is a wild cat distributed extensively within South America including the islands of Trinidad and Margarita, Central America, and Mexico. It has been reported as far north as Texas.
13 Tigon A hybrid animal resulting from the crossbreeding of a male tiger and a female lion, the Tigon inherits traits from both parents, such as a mane from the lion side and striping from the tiger side. The Tigon's size falls between that of its parent species and they are usually sterile.

These are the only animals besides monkeys that can hold conversations with pwople

14 Pumapard

They are cut and have bunny ears =') =,)

15 Leopon
16 Serval The serval is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa. It is recognized for its distinctive coat, featuring a tawny background with bold black spots and stripes. Servals have a slender body, long legs, and large ears with excellent hearing capabilities. They are adapted to a semi-aquatic lifestyle, often found near wetlands or marshes. Servals are skilled hunters, preying on a variety of small animals like rodents, birds, and amphibians. They are known for their unique hunting technique of leaping into the air to catch birds in flight. Despite their striking appearance, servals are elusive creatures that are rarely seen in the wild.

at 1st I thought this said several and I thought, "several what? Several lions?"

I like savannahs and servals

The serval is not a big cat

Beautiful cats

17 Amar Leopard
18 Puma The cougar, also commonly known as the mountain lion, puma, panther, or catamount, is a large felid of the subfamily Felinae native to the Americas.
19 Bobcat The bobcat is a North American cat that appeared during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago.
20 Jaglion
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