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great cats of india
Meet the Cats
In the Great Cats of India, Alphonse Roy, India's leading wildlife cinematographer, goes on a personal quest to track four species of India's big cats — the tiger, Asiatic lion, leopard and snow leopard. Meet the animal stars of the show in our photo slide shows below, and listen to Alphonse Roy talk about his close encounters with these fascinating felines.

tiger
   Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Tigers are the largest of the big cats, and tigers in India are a bit larger than those in Indonesia or Bali, with males weighing 180 to 260 kilograms (396 to 572 pounds) and females 130 to 160 kilograms (286 to 352 pounds). There are eight subspecies of tigers. The Siberian tiger is the largest of all.
photoView slide show
audioListen to Alphonse
RealPlayer | Windows Media
lion
   Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica)
The Asiatic lion can be found only in Gir, a forest region in northwest India. These lions tend to be smaller than their counterparts in Africa. There may be a mere 200 to 300 Asiatic lions remaining in the wild.
photoView slide show
audioListen to Alphonse
RealPlayer | Windows Media
leopard
   Leopard (Panthera pardus)
While tigers are the largest of all great cats, leopards may have the largest geographical range and the most varied appearance. They are comfortable in tropical forests, mountains, grasslands and deserts. In deserts, leopards appear to be pale yellow in color. In grassy areas, they are a darker yellow; sometimes they are black all over and called panthers.
photoView slide show
audioListen to Alphonse
RealPlayer | Windows Media

snow leopard
   Snow Leopard (Panthera unica)
With its spotted coat, the snow leopard resembles the leopard, but it has made other adaptations to suit its habitat range. Snow leopards are rarely seen, but when they are they can be found in the mountain ranges of Central Asia, from northwestern Tibet to the Himalayas.
photoView slide show
audioListen to Alphonse
RealPlayer | Windows Media

Pictures: ImageBank/Getty Images | National Geographic/Getty Images | DigitalVision/Getty Images | Eyewire/Getty Images |
Contributors: Burnie, David and Wilson, Don. 2001. Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. New York: Dorling Kindersley; Animal Diversity Web; Asiatic Lion Information Centre |

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