“Lions, Tigers and Leopards: they inspire our imagination and haunt our dreams.... big cats are 500 pounds of pure predator”

Equipped with three-inch long canines and retractable claws like switchblades, big cats are among the fiercest and most fascinating four legged beasts on the planet.
They are capable of taking down fleet footed antelope, two ton elephants and even human beings.

National Geographic crawls through the African grasslands and the swamps of India to track, capture and reveal the ultimate engineering and stealth ambush tactics of lions, tigers, and leopards.

This documentary takes a detailed look at what sets these mammals apart from the rest. Their extraordinary vision, their build, their brain size and their camouflage all help to make big cats the apex predators.
Close-up photography and 3D CGI help to explain the similarities and differences between the three big cats.

Scientific intervention has even created a huge super cat hybrid. Meet Sinbad, the 900 pound liger - a cross between a male lion and a tigress.

Other highlights include:

• How lions are able to hunt and ambush at night
• Sensitive whiskers are the big cat’s 6th sense
• The difference between the canines and the rear teeth
• Brain size v jaw size
• Role of the tongue and the digestive system

English narration by Salvatore F Vecchio
Filmed by Rob Lyall and Eric Strauss
Produced for National Geographic Television & Film (2006)