AboutJonathan Wright Expertise I can answer questions about wild mammals, as well as other wild animals. I can also answer questions on extinct animals and zoos.
I do not have expertise in animal medicine and care and cannot give advice on veterinary problems. Please contact a wildlife veterinarian or a wildlife charity or organisation if you find an injured wild animal. Please do not take wild animals out of the wild. This can be illegal and also very cruel, especially if you do not know how to look after the animal.
I do not agree with fights between different animals. Please do not ask me questions about them.
Experience I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two years old. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.
Organizations World Wide Fund for Nature. Zoological Society of London. London Bat Group.
Publications Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group
Education/Credentials BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' levels in Zoology and Chemistry. 'O' Level in Biology.
Question I have been told that the big cats can't purr. That the largest cat that can still purr is the Mountain Lion.
Can big cats still purr? If not what is the largest cat that can purr
Answer Dear Richard
Thanks for your question. I have looked up various publications and websites and the information seems to be contradictory, even within the same website.
http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/big.html states that ‘big cats' differ from ‘small cats' because pf the hyoid bone, which connects the tongue to the roof of the mouth. The hyoid bone has an elastic segment in big cats, but is hard all over in small cats. The elastic segment allows big cats to roar, but prevents them from purring in the same manner small cats can. Small cats can purr when they inhale and exhale, but big cats can only produce a 'purring' type of noise, when they exhale. To confuse the matter, http://www.azdrybones.com/felids.htm implies that big cats can purr both while inhaling and exhaling; the other cats purr on exhaling only. I think that the site got its facts the wrong way round!
The answer to your question depends on whether you consider this noise to be a true purr or not. If you do, the largest purring cat is a big cat (see below). If like http://www.tigerfdn.com/Tigerworld/trivia2.htm, http://science.howstuffworks.com/question394.htm and http://madsci.wustl.edu/posts/archives/may96/828639116.Zo.r.html, you think roaring cats cannot purr and that a true purr can only be produced when the cat inhales as well as when it exhales, the largest purring cat probably is a mountain lion.
As there is so much disagreement whether or not big cats purr, it is difficult to give a definitive answer to your question. Looking at the evidence, it seems that tigers can produce a purring sound and, if this is defined as a purr, the tiger is the largest purring cat. If the tiger cannot produce a purring sound, the largest purring cat is the lion. If a purr is defined as a sound, which can be produced by inhaling as well as exhaling, the largest purring cat is a mountain lion.
Personally, I think that the bulk of the evidence indicates that the tiger can purr and is therefore the largest purring cat.
