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information about things I like BIG CATS The term **big cat** – which is not a biological classification – is used informally to distinguish the larger [|felid] species from smaller ones. One definition of "big cat" includes the four members of the genus //[|Panthera]//: the [|tiger], [|lion], [|jaguar], and [|leopard]. Members of this genus are the only cats able to [|roar]. A more expansive definition of "big cat" also includes the [|cheetah], [|snow leopard], [|clouded leopard], and [|cougar]. Despite enormous differences in size, the various species of cat are quite similar in both structure and behavior, with the exception of the [|cheetah], which is significantly different from any of the big or small cats. All cats are [|carnivores] and efficient [|predators], in fact they are [|apex predators]Their range includes the [|Americas], [|Africa], [|Asia], and [|Europe]

HORSES The **horse** (//Equus ferus caballus//)[|[2]][|[3]] is a hooved ([|ungulate]) [|mammal], a subspecies of the family [|Equidae]. The horse has [|evolved] over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, [|single-toed] animal of today. Humans began to [|domesticate] horses around 4000 BC, and their [|domestication] is believed to have been widespread by 3000 BC. Although most horses today are domesticated, there are still endangered populations of the [|Przewalski's Horse], the only remaining true [|wild horse], as well as more common populations of [|feral horses] which live in the wild but are descended from domesticated ancestors. There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from [|anatomy] to life stages, size, [|colors], [|markings], [|breeds], [|locomotion], and behaviour. Horses' anatomy enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they have a well-developed [|sense of balance] and a strong [|fight-or-flight] instinct. Related to this need to flee from predators in the wild is an unusual trait: horses are able to sleep both standing up and lying down. Female horses, called [|mares], carry their young for approximately 11 months, and a young horse, called a [|foal], can stand and run shortly following birth. Most domesticated horses begin training under [|saddle] or in [|harness] between the ages of two and four. They reach full adult development by age five, and have an average lifespan of between 25 and 30 years. Horse breeds are loosely divided into three categories based on general temperament: spirited "hot bloods" with speed and endurance; "cold bloods", such as [|draft horses] and some [|ponies], suitable for slow, heavy work; and "[|warmbloods]", developed from crosses between hot bloods and cold bloods, often focusing on creating breeds for specific riding purposes, particularly in Europe. There are over 300 breeds of horses in the world today, developed for many different uses. Horses and humans interact in a wide variety of sport competitions and non-competitive recreational pursuits, as well as in working activities such as [|police work], [|agriculture], entertainment, and therapy. Horses were historically used in warfare, from which a wide variety of [|riding] and [|driving] techniques developed, using many different styles of [|equipment] and methods of control. Many products are derived from horses, including meat, milk, hide, hair, bone, and pharmaceuticals extracted from the urine of pregnant mares. Humans provide domesticated horses with food, water and shelter, as well as attention from specialists such as [|veterinarians] and [|farriers]. DOGS The **dog** (//Canis lupus familiaris//[|[3]] and //[|Canis lupus dingo]//[|[1]][|[2]]) is a domesticated form of the [|gray wolf], a member of the [|Canidae] family of the order [|Carnivora]. The term is used for both [|feral] and [|pet] varieties. The dog was the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept [|working], [|hunting], and companion animal in human history. The word "dog" may also mean the male of a canine species,[|[4]] as opposed to the word "bitch" for the female of the species.[|[5]] Dogs were [|domesticated] from gray wolves about 15,000 years ago.[|[6]] They must have been very valuable to early human settlements, for they quickly became ubiquitous across world cultures. Dogs perform many roles for people, such as [|hunting], [|herding], [|pulling loads], protection, [|assisting police and military], [|companionship], and, more recently, [|aiding handicapped individuals]. This impact on human society has given them the nickname "Man's best friend" in the western world. In 2001, there were estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world.[|[7]] Over the 15,000 year span the dog had been domesticated, it diverged into only a handful of [|landraces], groups of similar animals whose [|morphology] and behavior have been shaped by [|environmental factors] and functional roles. Through [|selective breeding] by humans, the dog has developed into hundreds of varied [|breeds], and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal.[|[8]] For example, height measured to the [|withers] ranges from a few inches in the [|Chihuahua] to a few feet in the [|Irish Wolfhound]; color varies from white through grays (usually called "blue'") to black, and browns from light (tan) to dark ("red" or "chocolate") in a wide variation of patterns; [|coats] can be short or long, coarse-haired to wool-like, straight, curly, or smooth.[|[9]] It is common for most breeds to [|shed] this coat.