Indian Leopard Cat
“ As anyone who has ever been around a cat for any length of time well knows, cats have enormous patience with the limitations of the humankind. ”
– Cleveland Amory
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Feliforma
Family: Felidae
Genus: Prionailurus
Species: Prionailurus bengalensis
Subspecies: Prionailurus bengalensis bengalensis
Descendant: other cats
Named by: Robert Kerr
Year Published: 1792
Size: weigh 0.55–3.8 kg (1.2–8.4 lb), have head-body lengths of 38.8–66 cm (15.3–26.0 in), with long 17.2–31 cm (6.8–12.2 in) tails
Lifespan: 8 to 20+ years
Activity: Crepuscular 🌇
Thermoregulate: Endotherm
Type:
Synapsids
Mammals (Cats)
Title:
Indian Wild Cat
Pantheon:
Terran/Gaian 🇺🇳
Time Period: Pleistocene–Holocene
Alignment: Docile
Threat Level: ★★
Diet: Omnivorous 🥩🥓🌿
Elements: none
Inflicts: none
Weaknesses: Fire 🔥, Water 🌊, Rock 🪨, Air 🌬️, Electric ⚡, Leaf 🌿, Ice ❄️, Metal 🔩, Dark 🌑, Light 🔆
Casualties: ???
Based On: itself
Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List
The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is a small wild cat native to continental South, Southeast, and East Asia. Historically, the leopard cat of continental Asia was considered the same species as the Sunda leopard cat. As of 2017, the latter is recognised as a distinct species, with the taxonomic name Prionailurus javanensis.
The nominate subspecies Prionailurus bengalensis bengalensis (Kerr, 1792) ranges in South and East Asia, from Pakistan to China, and probably the Malay Peninsula.
Similar in size to a domestic cat, a leopard cat has longer legs, more slender bodies, and distinct webs between its toes. It has a short, narrow white muzzle and two noticeable dark stripes on its little skull. Smaller white streaks run from the eyes to the nose, and two darker stripes run from the eyes to the ears. Its ears are oval and relatively long, with black backs and white dots in the middle. Black markings of various sizes and colors mark its body and limbs, and two to four rows of lengthy spots run along its back.
Its tail, which is speckled with a few hazy rings close to the black tip, is almost half as long as its head-body. The speckled fur has a white belly and chest with a tawny background color. But within their vast range, they varied so widely in terms of body size and weight, as well as in terms of spot coloration and size, that at first they were believed to be many distinct species.
The northern populations have pale silver-grey fur, while the southern populations have yellowish brown fur. Depending on the subspecies, the black patterns can be spotted, rosetted, or even create dotted stripes. Leopard cats in the tropics have long tails that measure 17.2 to 31 cm (6.8 to 12.2 in), weigh between 0.55 and 3.8 kg (1.2 and 8.4 lb), and have head-body lengths of 38.8 to 66 cm (15.3-26.0 in).
The purpose of the "falling cat problem" is to explain the underlying physics of the observed cat righting reflex, because most little or larger cats are impervious to fall injury but nevertheless avoid falls. Because the cat is not a rigid body, the seeming clash with the law of conservation of angular momentum is resolved. Instead, the cat's flexible backbone and ineffectual collarbone allow it to shift shape during the fall.
The first scats were collected in July, increasing until October while none was collected in May and June. Results suggest that the presence of Visayan leopard cats in sugarcane fields is influenced by the growth of sugarcane which attracts rodents. The main prey species consumed by Visayan leopard cats were Mus musculus (96%), Rattus exulans (96%), Rattus argentiventer (64%) and Rattus tanezumi (32%) concurring with many studies that small mammals are the main prey items of leopard cats.
The Prionailurus genus is friendly but became territorial when it came too close.
The most common tiny wildcat in Asia is the leopard cat. Its range is from the Russian Far East's Amur area to northern Pakistan, via the Korean Peninsula, China, Indochina, and the Indian Subcontinent. At elevations above 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), it can be found in subtropical deciduous and coniferous forests on the foothills of the Himalayas, as well as tropical evergreen rainforests and plantations at sea level. It lives in agriculturally utilized areas like sugar cane and oil palm plantations and can withstand somewhat altered landscapes with vegetation cover.
A camera trap captured a leopard cat in 2009 at 3,254 meters (10,676 feet) above sea level in Nepal's Makalu-Barun National Park. The survey area, which is dominated by rhododendron, oak, and maple associations, is home to at least six individuals. In the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, the highest elevation record was reached in September 2012 at 4,474 meters (14,678 feet). It avoids regions with more than 10 cm (3.9 in) of snowfall, however it does live near rivers, valleys, and ravine woods in the northeastern part of its range. In Pakistan's arid, treeless regions, it is uncommon. In the 1970s, reports of it came from the Waygul forest in Dare Pech, as well as from Jalalkot and Norgul in the Kunar Valley in Afghanistan.
From 1999 to 2003, 20 leopard cats were radio-collared in Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand. The six females' home ranges were between 4.4 km2 (1.7 sq mi) and 37.1 km2 (14.3 sq mi), whereas the males' ranges were between 2.2 km2 (0.85 sq mi) and 28.9 km2 (11.2 sq mi). Between 2002 and 2008, it was observed in China at the Changqing National Nature Reserve in the Qinling Mountains, the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in the Min Mountains, the Wolong Nature Reserve, and other protected places in the Daliang and Qionglai Mountains.
Currently, the leopard cat is only found on the islands of Tsushima and Iriomote in the Japanese archipelago. Pleistocene-era fossils that have been excavated point to a wider distribution in the past. The Mainland Leopard Cat lives in a range of environments, including shrub forests, successional grasslands, tropical rainforests, temperate broadleaf forests, and, to a lesser extent, coniferous forests. It can also be found in agricultural wetlands, lowland riparian habitats, and alpine regions. Additionally, they have the ability to adapt to a wide range of environments, including monocultures such as plantations for coffee, tea, rubber, and palm.
Despite the extensive usage of video traps throughout the Mainland Leopard Cat's geographic range, little is known about the population situation of this species. With the exception of a few very tiny, remote locations or certain protected areas, where estimates are frequently based on bycatch data, the population of this species has not been quantified in the most of its range. This indicates that researchers are not very interested in the species.
Movement Pattern: Not a Migrant
Individual Type: Solo
Population Trend: Stable
Population: ???
Locomotion: Terrestrial
Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests, Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests; Air-breathing Coral Reefs; Graveyard Vale; Radiated Citadel; Volcano; Warm Ghost Town; Cold Ghost Town; Ruined Skyscraper.
Earth:
Extant (Resident): Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Bhutan; Cambodia; China; Hong Kong; India; Nihon (Nansei-shoto); North Korea; South Korea; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Myanmar; Nepal; Pakistan; Russia; Singapore; Taiwan, Province of China; Thailand; Viet Nam
Presence Uncertain: Macao
The Prionailurus were tranquilized by bullets, made unconscious, fed meat and berries while unconscious, and used narcotics to continuously overdose. If this species isn't already trained, you can tame it with meat, berries, or eggs.
Coming soon.
Tagalog: Pusang leopardo, Maral
Cebuano: Maral (ᜋᜇᜎ᜔)
Indonesian: Kucing kuwuk, Kucing-kuwuk Sugbu, Maral
Navajo: Náátsʼózídę́ę́ʼ mósíłkizhii ałchinígíí
Japanese: ベンガルヤマネコ
Korean: 삵/살쾡이
Turkish: Sunda pars kedisi
Hungarian: Bengáli törpemacska
Irish: Marál, Liopardchat
French: Chat-léopard
Spanish: Gato leopardo
Coming soon