Re: Do big cats (i.e. lions, tigers, jaguars, mountain lions) purr?

Alan Illeman wrote:
> "J. Clarke" <jclarke.usenet@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:ga5s0m02rib@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> Stampir wrote:
>>> I've always wondered this.
>>
>> It depends on how you define "purr".  Taxonomically speaking, the
>> difference between a "big cat" (subfamily pantherinae, subsuming
>> lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars) and a "small cat" (subfamily
>> felinae, subsuming all other known living cats) is the hyoid bone,
>> which in small cats is rigid but in big cats is flexible.  "Big 
>> cats"
>> by that definition can only make a "purring" noise on exhalation,
>> while "small cats" can do it both ways.  The technical term for the
>> purring noise a "big cat" makes when it exhales is "chuffing". 
>> While
>> a mountain lion is larger than a leopard, a mountain lion is a 
>> "small
>> cat" and thus they can purr on inhalation, as can cheetahs, which
>> also are not "big cats".
>>
>> So if you consider "chuffing" to be a form of purr then all cats 
>> can
>> purr, if you consider "chuffing" to be different from "purring" 
>> then
>> only "small cats" can purr.
>>
>> --
>> --
>> --John
>> to email, dial "usenet" and validate
>> (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)
>>
>>
>
> Nice try John.
> http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chuffing

Google "big cat chuffing".


-- 
-- 
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)