Complete List of Wild Cat Names

This page covers three subjects (a) a full list of wild cat names including less well known alternative names. Often there are several different names for the wild cats and (b) some suggestions for the naming of future Apple OS X operating system software. As you might know Apple names updated versions of its famous operation system after wild cat species. Of course, there is a limited number of names but still plenty to choose from in my opinion. I also briefly discuss how to write the wild cat names.

What Species of Wild Cat will be the Name of the Next Apple OS X?

People are asking these questions. They are guessing what the name of the next Apple OS X will be. I think I am well placed to answer it. Techies tend to get the cats wrong such as calling wild cats “breeds of cat”. Wild cats are not breeds of cat. Breeds applies to purebred, pedigree domestic cats.

The names thus far (to November 2012), in historical order are:

1. Cheetah (version 10)
2. Puma
3. Jaguar
4. Panther
5. Tiger
6. Leopard
7. Snow leopard
8. Lion
9. Mountain lion (version 10.8)

You can see that different names for the same species of wild cat is acceptable in Apple’s naming policy. Puma and mountain lion are the same cat.

One problem is that Apple has worked its way through all the large cats. The remaining wild cats are medium sized. They can’t use the names of most of the small wild cats as they are often a bit strange and it seems size counts. Small does not equate with the giant business that is Apple. Also the serval (medium sized wild cat species) is a poor name for Apple I would suggest.

Also the word “wildcat” in referring to the species of small wild cat is confusing because some people will think it refers to all wild cat species.

Here is a list of ten possibilities with notes:

1. Lynx – medium sized cat. Gorgeous coat. Hunted too much. Native to North America. First choice.
2. Clouded leopard – gorgeous tree climbing and forest dwelling cat. Rare and endangered.
3. White tiger – coat color mutation of the orange tiger. Same species though.
4. White lion – another genetic mutation affecting coat color.
5. Blue tiger – super rare and a mutation that no longer exists (if it ever existed at all).
6. Amur leopard – super rare subspecies of the common leopard living in the same region of Russia as the Siberian tiger (Amur tiger). Far east of Russia.
7. King cheetah – genetic mutation of the cheetah that produces joined up spots to make blotches and lines on the coat.
8. Black panther – melanistic jaguar, leopard or puma. “Melanistic” means a genetic mutation producing dark pigment – melanin – in the hair strands.
9. Caracal – medium sized wild cat species. Very athletic.
10. Golden cat – refers to the African golden cat or Asiatic golden cat. Nice name, rare cat. Small cat.

Complete List of Wild Cat Names Including Alternatives

The list is in descending order of size.

1. Tiger
2. Lion
3. Jaguar – onca (in Brazil), el tigre (in South America), commonly referred to as “black panther” in melanistic form (mutated to black fur)
4. Puma – cougar, deer tiger, mountain lion, red tiger, catamount
5. Leopard
6. Cheetah – hunting Leopard
7. Snow leopard – ounce
8. Eurasian lynx
9. Clouded leopard
10. Caracal – African caracal, Asian caracal, desert Lynx
11. Serval
12. Bobcat – bay lynx, lynx cat, pallid bobcat, red lynx, chat sauvage and gato monte
13. Canada lynx – American lynx
14. Asiatic golden cat – golden cat, Temminck’s cat, fire tiger (Thai name), rock cat (Chinese name), yellow leopard (Chinese name)
15. African golden cat – golden cat, ‘boy of the leopard” and “the leopard’s brother” (by local people)
16. Iberian lynx – Pardel lynx, Spanish lynx
17. Ocelot – “fat hands” (in some areas of S.America)
18. Fishing cat
19. Jungle cat – reed cat, swamp cat
20. Chinese desert cat – Chinese mountain cat
21. Wildcat – wild cat
22. Jaguarundi – Eyra cat. The Spainish language has lots more names including “Yaguarundí”
23. Geoffroy’s cat – mountain cat (“gato montes”)
24. Andean mountain cat – Andean mountain cat, mountain cat
25. Marbled cat
26. Manul – Pallas’s cat (sometimes “Pallas cat”)
27. Bay cat – Bornean bay cat, Bornean marbled cat, Borneo bay cat
28. Margay – tree ocelot (“tigrillo” in Spanish)
29. Leopard cat – Asian leopard cat
30. Pampas cat – Chilean pampa cat, grass cat (“gato pajero”)
31. Sand cat – sand dune cat
32. Oncilla – little spotted cat, little tiger cat, oncilla, tiger cat
33. Kodkod – Chilean cat, guiña,
34. Black-foooted cat – small spotted cat, anthill tiger (Afrikans), Sebala cat and Bont-kat (local people)
35. Flat-headed cat
36. Rusty-spotted cat

Writing Wild Cat Names

This is really about what to capitalise and what not to capitalise. In general, the wild cat names should not be capitalised in a sentence. Of course, in a heading they are capitalised. The only part of a wild cat name that is capitalised is the nationality of the cat, the country name or the name of a person as these are always capitalised anyway. Here are some examples in sentences:

• The margay lives in South America – correct
• The Margay lives in South America – incorrect
• The Chinese desert cat lives in China – correct
• The chinese desert cat lives in China – incorrect
• The Chinese Desert Cat lives in China – incorrect
• The Andean mountain cat is cute – correct
• The andean mountain cat is cute  – incorrect
• The Andean Mountain Cat is cute – incorrect
• Some people think that Pallas’s cat is the ancestor of the Persian cat – correct
• Some people think that pallas’s cat is the ancestor of the Persian cat – incorrect
• Some people think that Pallas’s Cat is the ancestor of the Persian cat – incorrect
• As a heading, Pallas’s Cat and Andean Mountain Cat etc. are correct
• The word “wildcat” refers to the small species of wild cat while “wild cat” refers to anyone of the wild cat species.