Introduction

Cats are ferocious. They hunt, they kill, and they do it all with the grace of a ballerina. I mean, just look at how their muscles tense up and ripple before they leap into action! It’s beautiful (in an absolutely terrifying way). While most of us probably think about lions, tigers and jaguars when we think about big cats (and rightly so), there are a few species that were even larger than these iconic predators. Here are my top ten biggest cats ever documented in history:

The Long-Legged Lion

The long-legged lion was a massive cat that lived in North America and Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch (1.8 million to 10,000 years ago). It was larger than modern lions, weighing up to 700 pounds and measuring up to 14 feet in length.

It belongs to the genus Panthera, along with such fearsome beasts as tigers and jaguars. The long-legged lion is believed to have been an ancestor of tigers; some scientists believe there were two subspecies of this animal: one that inhabited Africa (Panthera leo atrox) and another that lived in Asia (Panthera leo sinhaleyus).

The big cats are now extinct; however, their fossilized remains show us how incredible these creatures were—and how much we stand to lose if we don’t take care of our planet’s wildlife now.

The American Lion

The American lion is the largest cat to have ever lived in North America. It was a member of the family Felidae, and a member of the genus Panthera. The American lion was also known as the American Cave Lion or the American Pleistocene Lion. They were slightly larger than their European counterparts, and they could reach up to 7 feet (2 meters) long.

The remains of this massive feline were first discovered in 1832 by explorer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft after he found evidence that Native Americans had hunted them for food and used their bones for tools. An expedition led by William Blackmore discovered more remains at Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky.

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright

Tigers are the largest of all the big cats, reaching a weight of 400 kg (880 lb) and measuring up to 3.3 m (11 ft) in length. Their coat is long and thick, providing protection from the cold. Tigers are found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Tigers prefer to dwell in forests and grasslands where they can hunt effectively but they will move into human settlements if food becomes scarce or if there is an opportunity to take livestock. They prey on a wide variety of animals including deer and wild boar as well as domestic livestock such as cows or water buffalo.

The Cave Lion

The cave lion was the largest cat of the Pleistocene.

It was just a little smaller than the African lion, which is also known as Panthera leo. Measuring up to ten feet (three meters) in length and weighing more than 500 pounds (225 kilograms), this ferocious predator had muscle mass comparable to that of today’s Siberian tiger.

The cave lion was strong enough to take down large prey such as buffalo, deer and even mammoths. It could run at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour (31 miles per hour).

Smilodon Populator

Smilodon Populator is the largest saber-toothed cat ever known. It weighed around 700 pounds and stood about three feet tall at the shoulders, making it absolutely massive compared to modern big cats like lions and tigers. Its teeth were long and robust, helping it to bring down prey larger than itself—such as horses. To go along with its immense size, Smilodon Populator had thick skin on its paws that may have helped it support its weight when running or digging through tough ground in search of food.

Smilodon Populator was also known as “the American lion” because of its similarities with lions in appearance and behavior: both had large heads with powerful jaws full of sharp teeth; both used their claws for hunting; both lived in groups called prides during certain times of year (lions live together in groups called prides). But there are some key differences between these two species as well: while lions are social animals who hunt together in groups (prides), smilodons hunted alone most often; while lions roar loudly at night to communicate across great distances, smilodons did not roar but instead used their deep voices to communicate with each other over short distances; while male lions mark territory by urinating on objects such as trees or shrubs within their area borders so that other male lions know where not to go near them – female smilodons did not do this either!

Homotherium Serum

Homotherium Serum is a large saber-toothed cat that lived during the Pleistocene era. It was about the size of a modern lion and weighed about 500 pounds. It had long fangs and large paws to help it hunt down prey such as horses, bison, and even camels.

Panthera Gombaszoegensis

Panthera Gombaszoegensis was a large cat that lived in Europe during the Pleistocene. It was a large cat that likely weighed over 300 pounds (136 kg), making it one of the biggest cats in history. The Panthera Gombaszoegensis probably looked similar to Smilodon Populator, except with bigger teeth and claws. This species may have also been larger than its American cousin due to an abundance of prey available in Europe that wouldn’t have been as abundant on other continents like North America or Australia.

Panthera Blytheae

Panthera Blytheae

The Panthera Blytheae is, in fact, a large cat that was first discovered in the late 19th century by American biologist L.H. Blythe. It is believed to have lived in North America and is thought to be a relative of the American lion (or Megalania). This theory was first put forth by Dr. Hermann Schlegel who found similarities between these two animals when comparing their skeletons and teeth.

Panthera Atrox

Panthera Atrox is the extinct American lion, meaning it was found in North America. It lived in the Pleistocene Epoch, a period of time that lasted from about 2.6 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago.

Panthera Atrox had a larger body size than modern lions, which allowed it to hunt larger prey than what modern lions can tackle. An adult male Panthera Atrox would have weighed between 150 and 200 pounds while an adult female would have weighed between 100 and 175 pounds.

The fact that they were able to hunt larger animals than their modern counterparts means they likely competed with other large predators like Smilodon (the saber-toothed cat). In fact, there are many human fossilized remains associated with these two species as well as other large carnivores such as dire wolves and short faced bears; all these animals were competing for food resources during this period of time!

All of these big cats are now extinct.

• Megalonyx jeffersonii
• Smilodon gracilis
• Homotherium serum
• Panthera leo atrox (American lion)
• Machairodus blacki (Smilodon populator)
• Panthera atrox arizonensis (American lion)

Conclusion

Cats are cute and cuddly, but there was a time when they were the biggest and baddest predators on earth. Their incredible strength and agility made them kings of the jungle for millions of years, until humans came along. Nowadays our feline friends are more focused on napping in sunbeams than hunting their prey, but it’s fun to imagine what would happen if these ferocious felines were still around today.