The Big Cats

The Big Cats are an American rock band from Little Rock, Arkansas. They were formed in 1993 by members of various Little Rock punk bands, but shifted their sound from punk rock to early rock and roll.

History

Early Years

The Big Cats formed in 1993 following the breakups of Burt Taggart's previous band, Chino Horde, and Colin Brooks and Josh Bentley's band, Substance. Each of the members had grown up in and around Little Rock, Arkansas and played together in earlier bands. They made their live debut at a New Year's Eve party on December 31, 1993. In 1994, Shannon Yarbrough, Taggart's former bandmate in 5-0, joined the band.

In 1996, Bentley moved to Nashville. Pinhead Gunpowder's Jason White (who had previously played in Chino Hoarde), moved back from Berkeley, California to Arkansas to replace him. This incarnation of the band won local accolades, continued to write and record, and eventually toured the midwest and northeast United States with the thought of relocating. Unable to reach a consensus of where to move, the group disbanded. Over the next two years Taggart, Brooks, and Yarbrough moved to Brooklyn, New York, while White returned to Berkeley and continued to play with Pinhead Gunpowder, eventually joining Green Day.

Big cat

The terms big cat and great cat, while not a biological classification, are used informally to distinguish the larger felid species from smaller ones. A narrower definition of it includes five members of the genus Panthera: the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard. Only members of this genus are able to roar. A more expansive definition additionally includes the cougar, clouded leopard and cheetah. Especially the clouded leopard is considered an evolutionary link between big and small cats.

Despite enormous differences in size, various species of cat are quite similar in both structure and behaviour, with the exception of the cheetah, which even more significantly stands out from the other big and small cats. All cats are carnivores and efficient apex predators. Their range includes the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Roaring

The ability to roar comes from an elongated and specially adapted larynx and hyoid apparatus. When air passes through the larynx on the way from the lungs, the cartilage walls of the larynx vibrate, producing sound. The lion's larynx is longest, giving it the most robust roar. Only members of the Panthera genus contain this elongated hyoid.

Phantom cat

Phantom cats, also known as Alien Big Cats (ABCs) – large felines, such as jaguars, cougars, and leopards – allegedly appear in regions outside their indigenous range. Sightings, tracks and predation have been reported in a number of countries and states including Canada, Britain, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Eastern United States, Hawaii, Italy and Luxembourg.

Australia

Sightings of exotic big cats in Australia began more than 100 years ago. The New South Wales State Government reported in 2003 that it was "more likely than not" that there was a colony of exotic big cats living in the bush near Sydney.

Gippsland phantom cat

In the Gippsland region of south-eastern Victoria, the origin of the cats is claimed to be American World War II airmen who brought cougars with them as mascots and released them in the Australian Bush.

Grampians puma

A study by Deakin University concluded that the existence of big cats in the Grampian mountains range was demonstrated "beyond reasonable doubt".