Panthera

Panthera
Two lions (Panthera leo)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Pantherinae
Genus:	Panthera Oken, 1816
Type species
Felis pardus Linnaeus, 1758

Panthera is a genus of the family Felidae. It has five living species, which are the biggest cats in the Felidae. The tiger is the largest Panthera species, and the largest of all cats. The leopard is the smallest Panthera species.^[1]

Results of genetic analysis indicate that the snow leopard also belongs to the Panthera, a classification that was accepted by IUCN assessors in 2008.^[2][3] The genus Neofelis is also closely related.

1. ↑ Turner A. 1997. The big cats and their fossil relatives. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-10229-1
2. ↑ Johnson W.E. et al 2006. The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment". Science 311 (5757): 73–77. [1]
3. ↑ Jackson R.; et al. (2008). "Panthera uncia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature.