Cat vs

Felis catus compared with Cocconeis placentula

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cat
Kingdom	Animalia (动物界)	Chromista (色藻界)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Ochrophyta (淡色藻门)
Class	Mammalia (哺乳動物)	Bacillariophyceae (硅藻纲)
Order	Carnivora (食肉目)	Achnanthales (曲壳藻目)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Cocconeidaceae
Genus	Felis (Small Cats)	Cocconeis
Species	Felis catus	Cocconeis placentula

Conservation Status

Cat

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cat
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	46 cm	—
Average Weight	4.5 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cat

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (9 countries), Asia (7 countries), Europe (11 countries), North America (13 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (11 countries), and South America (6 countries).

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Taiwan.

Cat

家猫是人类最成功的驯化伴侣动物之一，小型敏捷肉食动物，约10,000年前起源于近东野猫（Felis silvestris lybica）。目前有超过70个公认品种，家猫保留强烈的捕猎本能，几乎遍布地球所有陆地环境，全球估计饲养量约6亿只，是世界最受欢迎的宠物。

Cocconeis placentula is among the most ubiquitous and widely studied freshwater and brackish-water diatoms worldwide, serving as a model organism for periphyton ecology and a key species in biological assessment of water quality. A member of the family Cocconeidaceae, this adnate epiphyte produces a characteristic ovoid frustule with fine transapical striae, a well-developed raphe system on one valve, and an elaborate pattern of areolae visible under electron microscopy. The species complex encompasses several morphological varieties (var. placentula, var. lineata, var. euglypta, var. acuta) that differ in fine structural details of the valve ornamentation. Cocconeis placentula colonizes the surfaces of aquatic plants, algae, rocks, and sediment particles in rivers, lakes, and ponds across a vast global range spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and beyond, tolerating a wide range of water temperatures, pH values, and moderate nutrient enrichment. Its abundance varies dramatically with substrate type, light availability, and water chemistry, making community composition data involving this species valuable in diatom-based paleolimnological reconstructions and modern bioassessment indices. As a benthic primary producer, C. placentula contributes substantially to the productivity of the photic benthos and serves as a dietary component for invertebrate grazers. Its remarkable cosmopolitan distribution and ecological flexibility make it one of the defining species of freshwater periphyton communities globally. Conservation status is not formally assessed.