Oooh, yay! Top six ask meme
6. Mountain Lion
Okay, like, these things are gorgeous and all, and very impressive, all silvery-brown, but they lost a higher spot on the list because they FUCKING SCREAM and the first time I heard one it was like fuck-all midnight in Bumfuck Nowhere, MT, and I was convinced that my family and I were all going to be ax murdered and no one was ever going to know because we lived in a town of 90 people with no law enforcement to speak of where people went missing in the mountains monthly. However, there’s a certain level of badassery to that, so they still made the list.
5. Normal Lion
It’s…a fucking lion…it had to get on the list somewhere on account of being a fucking lion.
4. Cheetah
Did you know that the reason they get cheetahs dog-friends is because cheetahs are so high-strung that they basically can’t function as creatures? So they get therapy dogs to, like, lower their blood pressure. And honestly same. Also the science of how cheetahs run so fucking fast is AMAZING and makes me happy, they’re like spotted Slinkies with legs.
3. Snow Leopard
MAXIMUM FLOOF. There’s a picture somewhere of a snow leopard with its tail in its mouth and I can’t find it BUT I LOVE THAT PICTURE. Snow leopards are the perfect combination of lethality and floof. Also they do parkour, basically, and you have not truly admired a creature until you’ve seen a snow leopard run across a wall.
2. Black Panther
Actually black panthers are melanistic jaguars! But I like them a lot and kind of always have, I have a toy black panther I’ve had since I was very wee, her name is Casseopia, I think. I was on an astronomy kick. They’re amazing and their black coats are so sleek and beautiful and I’m a fan.
And coming in at Number 1. Siberian Tiger
Everyone remembers how I read Far Too Much Animorphs at the age of seven, yes? I have a genuine adoration for the Siberian tiger because it’s Jake’s battle morph. And furthermore: look at this gorgeousness. How could I NOT.
They’re big, sleek, beautiful, and their numbers are (very very slowly) on the rise. I love them very much.
In conclusion: as we’ve seen, I know little to nothing about big cats, but I like them anyway.