Between 42 million and 11 thousand years ago, 67 sabertoothed cat species lived in North America until extinction. Both the changing temperature after the Ice Age and the arrival of people in the Americas caused their demise.
Two major large cat species lived in the US. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is linked to several large cat species on different continents. Though there are single jaguars in Arizona,the species has largely been extirpated from the US (in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Louisiana) since the early 20th century.
The cougar (Puma concolor), often known as the puma, mountain lion, catamount, panther, and others, is the other North American 'big cat' Despite weighing 70 kg (150 lbs) and being termed a'mountain lion,'
Continental America is home to cougars. Though they were more equally dispersed in the US and Canada (as far north as the southern Yukon border), their numbers are higher in the west.
However, western (and probably southern) cougars are moving and becoming more common in habitats where eastern cougars were extinct.#3, #4, #5 This comprises central and eastern Canada and the US mid-west and east coast.
The ocelot, Canada lynx, and bobcat are the three "wild cats" of the US. However, none of these creatures are Felis, the wildcat and domestic cat genus. The Canada lynx (distributed in the Western United States, New England, Alaska, and Canada) and bobcat
The ocelot, found in low numbers only in Arizona and Texas (and once in Arkansas and Louisiana), is in the genus Leopardus. The margay (Leopardus wiedii) and jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), found in Central and South America
were previously prevalent along the lower Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. Both may have disappeared from the US.