Big cat

From WoWWiki

The big cats of Azeroth come in a variety of poorly-distinguished forms.

Real Life

In real life, living and extinct big cats are classified into a number of subfamilies including:

• Acinonychinae (cheetahs)
• Felinae
  • Lynx lynx (lynxes)
  • Puma concolor (pumas, also known as "cougars" or "mountain lions")
• Machairodontinae (various saber-toothed cats)
• Pantherinae
  • Panthera leo (lions)
  • Panthera onca (jaguars)
  • Panthera pardus (leopards)
  • Panthera tigris (tigers)
  • Uncia uncia (snow leopards)

Cheetahs

There are no cheetah mobs in the game. However, hunters can cast Aspect of the Cheetah.

Druids in Travel Form can reach cheetah-like speeds. However, druids can sustain these speeds much longer, and the Travel Form model looks much like a jaguar or leopard.

Pumas

Most of the pumas in the game are found in the Alterac Mountains and Hillsbrad Foothills.

• Alterac Mountains – Hulking Mountain Lion, Mountain Lion
• Hillsbrad Foothills – Feral Mountain Lion, Mountain Lion, Starving Mountain Lion
• Mulgore – Flatland Cougar, Mountain Cougar
• Thousand Needles – Needles Cougar

Saber-toothed cats

Arguably, all cats in Azeroth are saber-toothed, however some are specifically called "sabers". Adding to the confusion, the various frostsabers drop Tiger Meat.

• Darkshore – Ghost Saber
• Teldrassil – Elder Nightsaber, Feral Nightsaber, Mangy Nightsaber, Nightsaber, Nightsaber Stalker, Young Nightsaber
• Winterspring – Frostsaber, Frostsaber Cub, Frostsaber Huntress, Frostsaber Pride Watcher, Frostsaber Stalker

Lions

None of the cat mobs in Azeroth are specifically labeled as lions. However, the savannah cats drop Savannah Lion Tusks.

• Barrens - Savannah Cub, Savannah Highmane, Savannah Huntress, Savannah Matriarch, Savannah Patriarch, Savannah Prowler, The Rake. Humar the Pridelord, Echeyakee
• Winterspring - Sian-Rotam

Jaguars

• Swamp of Sorrows – Swamp Jaguar

Tigers

The majority of tigers in the game are found in Stranglethorn Vale (and Zul'Gurub).

• Durotar – Durotar Tiger
• Zul'Gurub – Zulian Tiger
• Stranglethorn Vale – Elder Stranglethorn Tiger, Kurzen War Tiger, Stranglethorn Tiger, Stranglethorn Tigress, Young Stranglethorn Tiger

Snow leopards

• Dun Morogh – Juvenile Snow Leopard, Snow Leopard

Generic panthers

There are a number of "panther" mobs in the game, and even a "panther" priestess (High Priestess Arlokk). Most of them look like black panthers, a melanistic form of leopard or jaguar.

• Stranglethorn Vale – Elder Shadowmaw Panther, Kurzen War Panther, Panther, Shadowmaw Panther, Skullsplitter Panther, Young Panther
• Swamp of Sorrows – Shadow Panther
• Thousand Needles – Enraged Panther
• Zul'Gurub – Zulian Panther

Lynxes

This section concerns content exclusive to The Burning Crusade.

• Eversong Woods – Elder Springpaw, Springpaw Cub, Springpaw Lynx, Springpaw Stalker
• Ghostlands – Ghostclaw Lynx, Ghostclaw Ravager, Starving Ghostclaw

Other big cats

• Badlands – Ridge Huntress, Ridge Stalker, Ridge Stalker Patriarch, similar to leopards
• Darkshore – Moonstalker, Moonstalker Matriarch, Moonstalker Runt, Moonstalker Sire, probably "sabers"
• Mulgore – Flatland Prowler, probably a puma
• Stonetalon Mountains – Twilight Runner, probably a "saber"
• Stranglethorn Vale – Jaguero Stalker, appears to be a generic black "panther"
• Teldrassil – Duskstalker, probably a "saber"