Big cats have muscle fibers which are three times as powerful as a human’s. There are only 5 true big cats – the lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, and jaguar. Cheetahs and cougars are in fact more closely related to domestic cats. Lions can take down the biggest prey of all big cats - an elephant weighing several tons.

Cheetahs and cougars are not considered true big cats due to:

Hunting as a group enables lions to surround, manipulate and overpower much larger prey than the other big cats. Their ability to hunt cooperatively is thought to stem from an adaptation in their brain. Working together like this helps lions catch their pray successfully.

Based on the information above, cooperatively must mean:

Lions also have the most highly developed frontal cortex of all the big cats. The frontal cortex is the part of the brain which deals with decision making, problem solving, and social behavior. Female lions, called lionesses, show an even larger frontal cortex than male lions. Lionesses spend more time in groups and do the majority of the hunting on the African plains. This incredible adaptation enables them, not only to live as a pride, but also to strategize during a hunt.

The frontal cortex of a lion is bigger than any big bat. The frontal cortex of a female lioness is...

Lions also have the most highly developed frontal cortex of all the big cats. The frontal cortex is the part of the brain which deals with decision making, problem solving, and social behavior. Female lions, called lionesses, show an even larger frontal cortex than male lions. Lionesses spend more time in groups and do the majority of the hunting on the African plains. This incredible adaptation enables them, not only to live as a pride, but also to strategize during a hunt.

The main idea of the paragraph is:

Unfortunately, big cats worldwide are under threat—for many populations, local extinctions are imminent. It is only a matter of time. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other top cats are victims of habitat loss as well as conflicts with humans. Losing these majestic predators would create a devastating impact on our ecosystem.

Using context clues, the definition of imminent must be:

Unfortunately, big cats worldwide are under threat—for many populations, local extinctions are imminent. It is only a matter of time. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other top cats are victims of habitat loss as well as conflicts with humans. Losing these majestic predators would create a devastating impact on our ecosystem.

What is the consequence if big cats become extinct?

A special species of cheetah was once found in North America. It is extinct, but evidence that it once existed is found in the DNA of a species that is alive today: the pronghorn. Scientists believe that these incredibly fast hoofed animals, which can go speeds of 30 miles per hour for miles on end, evolved their speed and endurance as a way to escape their predators.

Pronghorns are animals that can run up to speeds of 30 miles per hour for many miles. This is one of the reasons that scientists believe pronghorns:

Cheetahs are great at getting by with little water. They only need to have a drink every three or four days. Though cheetahs are fast, they aren’t perfect hunters. Only about half of their kill attempts are successful. The effort to catch prey lasts a mere 20-60 seconds, but is incredibly energy-intensive, so every missed kill is a significant amount of wasted energy. Though the species is millions of years old, cheetah populations have undergone a dramatic decline in the last century. There were over 100,000 cheetahs in 1900, but only an estimated 9,000-12,000 remain in the wild today, with only 200 left in Iran.

The topic of this paragraph is:

Cheetahs are great at getting by with little water. They only need to have a drink every three or four days. Though cheetahs are fast, they aren’t perfect hunters. Only about half of their kill attempts are successful. The effort to catch prey lasts a mere 20-60 seconds, but is incredibly energy-intensive, so every missed kill is a significant amount of wasted energy. Though the species is millions of years old, cheetah populations have undergone a dramatic decline in the last century. There were over 100,000 cheetahs in 1900, but only an estimated 9,000-12,000 remain in the wild today, with only 200 left in Iran.

Why do cheetahs only catch half of their prey?