A subfamily within the cat family (Felidae), containing smaller cat species and excluding the big cats (genus Panthera).
Scientific Latin subfamily name, derived from feles (cat) with the subfamily ending -inae. This taxonomic term emerged in the 19th century with formal animal classification.
Felinae includes your pet house cat, wildcats, lynxes, ocelots—basically all the 'smaller' cats. The split between Felinae and Pantherinae (big cats) happened when one ancestor evolved the ability to roar, creating the lineages we see today.
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