This feline species is preyed upon by animals with a weight less than half its own, becoming a 'shame for cats'
Cats have always been considered the strongest and most elegant carnivorous animals in nature, with a large fan base, especially several large cats, are symbols of ferocious beasts in nature. Among the terrestrial carnivorous order, cats are considered 'single combat invincible' , but some people support another group, the weasel family, known for their flexibility and dexterity.
Note: The weasel in the bottom left corner has been removed from the weasel family
Although the largest species in the weasel family – otters and giant otters, the maximum weight does not exceed 60 kilograms, most weasels weigh less than 10 kilograms, but their strength cannot be underestimated.The weasel family includes the weasel genus and the ferret genus, which are characterized by their flexibility and are commonly referred to as 'weasels' in China. Their feature is jumping forward, which can hunt animals several times their size. While wolves (fen bears), honey badgers, polecats, and American badgers are known for their ferocity and toughness, they are often called 'little headliners', daring to confront predators several times larger than themselves, although they have little dazzling record, but they are commendable for their courage. Various otters are semi-aquatic, they can operate in groups across rivers and lakes, the largest giant otter is called 'water wolf'
Giant otter
Some insist that 'cats are stronger than weasels in the same size' , but there has been no reliable conflict record to support it, because overall, cats have a significant size advantageLions and tigers can grow to more than 250 kilograms, while the largest weasel does not exceed 60 kilograms. The smallest cat is the spotted leopard cat and the black-footed cat, which can also grow to more than 1 kilogram, while the smallest weasel is the pygmy weasel, only 50-200 gramsIn nature, there are very few cases of cats and weasels competing in the same size
However, a few years ago, a study surprised netizens. In North America, a weasel animal preyed on a medium-sized cat animal twice its size. This is the famous 'fisher preys on Canadian lynx' event
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Scott conducted a study in northern Maine for 12 years, he found that the fisher can prey on Canadian lynx that is one times larger than itself
65 Canadian lynx deaths were recorded between 1999 and 2011, 18 of which were killed by other animals, 14 of which were determined to be the result of fisher predation through examination of the wounds14 of the Canadian lynx that were killed were 13 adults, 5 males and 9 femalesThe average weight of male Canadian lynx is 11.3 kilograms and the average weight of female Canadian lynx is 9 kilograms, the average weight of fisher is 4.6 kilograms, the Canadian lynx's weight is more than twice that of the fisher
Fisher
The fisher in Maine is the largest population in terms of size, and the environment in Maine provides the fisher with the best chance of winning against catsAccording to National Geographic's statement: this competition is a benign natural cycle, this phenomenon occurs mainly in Canada, where there are few other predators, and the fisher's predation helps to moderate the number of Canadian lynx. Canadian lynx die from freezing or starvation due to excessive numbers
Canadian lynx distribution78%“”
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