Big Cats at St Louis Zoo Missouri USA

 

Cheetah/ Photo by Geoff Sutton 2012
Nikon Coolpix

We have been visiting the St Louis Zoo for about 50 years. It's a fabulous zoo located in beautiful  Forest Park St. Louis, Missouri. I decided to make this page about the Big Cats because they are the favorites of my grandchildren.

Lions are social animals living in groups called prides. They live in the grasslands and savannas of Africa. The male is larger than the female and has a large mane about its head.*

Lion by Geoff Sutton, 2021/Cannon EOS 70D

I took this photo of a cheetah 22 October 2021-- the cropped version is at the top of this post. The cheetah is the fastest land animal with speeds of 80 to 128 kmh (50 to 80 mph). They range in length between 3.6 to 4.9 feet and the adults weight between 20 to 65 kg (44 to 143 pounds). ***

The coluring of the tigers is amazing. And this one is a fitting specimen to represent the Missouri Tigers though I would hope the athletes are more energetic.

Tigers can be found in India, Nepal, Russia and China. They weigh between 220 and 660 pounds and measure 6 to 10 feet in length. They may live as long as 20 years in the wild.

Tiger 10 March 2021/Geoff Sutton

Jaguars are the largest cats in South America. Leopards look similar to Jaguars but one key difference can be found in the "spots." The rosettes on the Jaguar have inner spots but those on Leopards do not. There is a size difference, which may not be obvious in a zoo. Jaguars weigh 36 to 158 kg compared to Leopards, which range from 17 to 90. Here's a useful link panthera.org.

I took all of the photos on this page at the St Louis Zoo using either my Nikon Coolpix camera or my Canon SLR EOS 70D.

As of the date of this post, admission to the St Louis Zoo is free but there is a charge for parking. Free parking can sometimes be found along the side of the roads around Forest Park. 

See more Big Cats

A female lion eyeing a giraffe in Kenya

My YouTube video of a female lion rejecting a male lion Kruger Park South Africa

My YouTube video including a lion in Kenya at Kenya Wildlife

My Tiger video in Ranthambore wildlife park, India 

My lion video from the Smithsonian Zoo

My tiger video from the Smithsonian Zoo

Notes

* Read more about lions at wikipedia.

** Read more about tigers at world wildlife

*** Read more about cheetahs at wikipedia

Check out my webpage suttong.com

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