Guide to LEGO® Wild Cats

Large carnivores hold a strange fascination for minifigurekind. Throughout our evolution, these beasts represented the top of the food chain, commanding a terrifying respect and wariness. Many ancient societies worshiped them as totems or spirits of the wild for those reasons. There’s no doubt, large cats are captivating. Perhaps it’s their stealth, their streamlined beauty, or their mesmerizing gaze that holds us entranced. Regardless, these felines hold a special place in the minifigure psyche. Minifigures flock to zoos and take safaris all over the world just to catch a glimpse of these magnificent creatures. Large cats inhabit the plains, jungles, and mountain forests. Regardless of where you go, this field guide to LEGO® wild cats will help you identify them in all their stunning beauty.

NOTE: While I have researched wild cats fairly extensively, this article is a work of fiction. I have used scientific research and woven it into the context of feline figurines produced by the LEGO® Group to tell a convincing story. But it is just that, a story.

FIELD GUIDE TO THE LEGO® WILD CATS CONTENTS

Introduction to the LEGO® Wild Cats

Let us begin with a distinction. In this guide, we discuss large-bodied cats, not simply the big cats. We cover the big cats for sure, but a large cat is not necessarily a big cat. Science defines big cats as felines with the ability to roar. These cats include members of the sub-family Pantherinae. In terms of what Minifigures might encounter, this means the lion, tiger, and leopard. Roaring requires a specialized structure of the hyoid apparatus. These are small bones in the throat that support the larynx, or voice box. The hyoid bones of big cats feature an elastic ligament other cat species do not have. This ligament allows the larynx to stretch and move in a manner the facilitates roaring in conjunction with the specialized vocal folds inside the larynx itself.

The big cats last shared a common ancestor with other cat species approximately 11 million years ago. Modern species began diverging approximately three million years ago. However, this modern radiation of cats is not to be confused with the sabre-toothed “tigers”. Cat-like species commonly spoken of as sabre-toothed actually belong to several different species. Some of these species were not actually true cats at all, but rather an example of convergent evolution. Consequently, they bear no close relation to modern tigers. While some sabre-toothed species were actually members of the Felidae family containing all modern cats, they actually represent a distinct sub-family called the Machairodontinae. These cats existed from about 12 million years ago until the last ice age, approximately 10,000 years ago.

Melting permafrost continues revealing the frozen remains of extinct animals.

A 2018 arctic expedition unearthed two examples of Machairodont sabre-toothed cats. The creatures remained frozen for centuries, presumably since the last glaciation (115,000 – 11,700 years ago). Global warming resulting in melting permafrost revealed their complete body fossils. Similarly, researchers found other prehistoric creatures on the expedition, such as a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth.

Documented Sabre-tooth Cat Expeditions:

General Guide to LEGO® Wild Cats

In terms of general size and form, all large LEGO® cats are fairly similar. As such, several phenotypic traits are not useful in terms of identification. When measured from the nose to the tip of tail with the neck inline with the spine, each cat measures approximately 8.2 cm long. Additionally, they have a shoulder height of around 3 cm. Interestingly, despite near identical dimensions, the species range in mass from 11 to nearly 13 grams.

Pugmarks, or footprints, are another unreliable trait often discussed in scientific circles. Some scientists use pugmarks as a non-invasive method for wild cat population census. This technique is controversial in terms of accuracy on a species level. Opponents of the method say you cannot reliably identify an individual based on its footprints because they vary greatly from substrate to substrate. This is further complicate by the fact that all LEGO® wild cats have nearly identical pugmarks. This means that researchers will easily confuse not just individuals, but also species where territories overlap. We recommend remote camera traps as a more accurate census technique.

Of panthers and white lions…

Pelage coloration and markings are generally the best way to identify the species of LEGO® cat you are dealing with. However, it is important to note that genotypic variation within certain species occasionally results in dramatic color variation even within a single species. Two documented examples include panthers and white lions. The panther is not a species in and of itself, but rather an all-black variant of the leopard. This is a phenotypic variation known as melanism. In leopards, a gene mutation stops the normal functioning of ASIP (Agouti Signaling Protein). ASIP is responsible for lighter fur coloring. In “normal” coloration, ASIP binds to the MC1R (melanocortin-1 receptor) gene to inhibit the production of melanin. Melanin is the pigment responsible for dark coloration. Without the usual pathway for development of lighter colored fur, a leopard is born a “panther”.

Similarly, white lions represent another phenotypic variation. In this case, the lion is not an albino. Albinos are characterized by a complete lack of pigment. One defining trait of albinism is red eyes. Blood in the tissues becomes visible with no pigment in the iris. However, white lions have blue eyes and pigment in their skin. The condition is known as leucism and also results from a gene mutation. Unlike the melanistic leopard, this gene mutation causes a decrease in melanin production. In both leopard melanism and lion leucism, the gene mutation is recessive. In other words, both parents must pass on the recessive gene in order for a cub to show the color variation. However, since it is recessive, an animal may carry the gene and simply not express it.

Species Specific Guide to LEGO® Wild Cats

Documented appearances of the LEGO® mountain lion:

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Documented appearances of the LEGO® tiger:

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Documented appearances of the LEGO® leopard:

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The lion once roamed through Africa and Asia. Now, they exist only in sub-Saharan Africa, with a small and critically endangered population in India. Lions are classified as a vulnerable species. Between 23,000 and 39,000 still exist in the wild. However, their populations are extremely fragmented. The white lion does not represent a separate species or subspecies of lion. It its merely a genetic variant of the more common tawny lion. White lions have only ever existed in the Timbavati/Kruger region of South Africa.

Documented appearances of the LEGO® lion:

CONCLUSION

While generally similar in size, the LEGO® wild cats show enough phenotypic variation to allow for species specific identification. Certain physical traits like overall size and pugmarks are unhelpful. However, each species shows enough color and pattern variation for clear identification. Exercise caution when classifying leopards and lions as each species is known to exhibit genetic mutations resulting in extreme color variation. In the case of leopards, melanism is common. For lions, leucism occurs in South African prides. Presently, documented LEGO® species include saber tooth cats, mountain lions, tigers, leopards, and lions. Additionally, ancient South and Central American cultures created jaguar art. However, no jaguars have even been scientifically documented. We will update this field guide should evidence for more species arise. We hope you find this field guide to LEGO® wild cats useful in your nature excursions.

Until next time,

-Tom (B.Sc. Wildlife Biology)

Watch my lego wild cat mocumentary

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