I’m a mean kitty! Cute baby lynx shows she’s REALLY got claws

Female lynx and two female cloud leopards born at Nashville Zoo

Already showing an instinct to hone their hunting skills

They're only weeks old, but these baby big cats are already keen to get their claws stuck in.

The two female clouded leopards and one female lynx were born at Nashville Zoo in the United States where there has been a bumper crop of new additions in recent years.

And these cute pictures show the kittens are ready to hone their hunting skills straight away.

Scratch me if you can: The female baby lynx does her best to pull off a frightening growl and show off her tiny claws

Roaring success: Nashville Zoo has had a bumper crop of new additions with more than 20 clouded leopards and three Eurasian lynx born in recent years

Dinner time: A zookeepers feeds the baby lynx which is barely a few weeks old

Natural instincts: The baby lynx has been demonstrating an urge to hone its hunting skills already

Nashville Zoo has had a total of 20 clouded leopards and three Eurasian lynx born in captivity in the last four years.

Mammal keeper Connie Philipp described her part in the birthing of the little lynx.

'We suspected that our lynx might be pregnant due to a slight weight increase,' she said.

'The cub arrived on its estimated due date based on the data the keepers collected. She's now being hand-raised by our animal care staff.

'She will eventually join an educational outreach program at another zoo.'

Nashville Zoo President Rick Swartz explained how the new-borns came to be born at Nashville.

Clouded leopards are classified as vulnerable and live in the wilds of Nepal and Southeast Asia. They are great at hiding and are only rarely photographed in the wild and scientists cannot be sure how many survive outside of zoos.

Eurasian lynx are one of nature's success stories and the 8,000 that live in the wilds of continental Europe are not currently under threat.

Adorable: The two cloud leopard kittens show their playful side by cuddling up to each other

Best of friends: From the looks of it, the baby cloud leopards are going to be close playmates

One of the kittens is so new it hasn't quite opened its eyes yet

'We are proud to be on the forefront of clouded leopard conservation,' he said.

'It has been a busy spring for our clouded leopard breeding program, which has seen three litters born in the last two months.

'Since 2009, 20 leopards have been born at Nashville Zoo, and in the last year alone, Nashville Zoo welcomed the births of more clouded leopards than at all the world's zoos combined,' he said.