Visayan Leopard Cat

Prionailurus javanensis rabori / Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus

Visayan Leopard Cat / Maral

“ 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

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Clade: Synapsida

Class: Mammalia

Order: Feliforma

Family: Felidae

Genius: Prionailurus

Species: Prionailurus javanensis

Subspecies: Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus

Descendant: Javan leopard cat

Named by: Thomas Horsfield

Year Published: 1821

Size: 45 to 75 cm (18 to 30 inches) in length; 60 cm tall in height; 0.55 in weight

Lifespan: 8 to 20+ years

Type: 

Title: 

Pantheon: 

Time Period: Pleistocene–Holocene

Alignment: Docile

Threat Level: ★★

Diet: Omnivorous

Elements: Nature

Inflicts: Bleeding; gnashed

Weaknesses: Fire, air, ice, poison

Casualties: ???

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Vulnerable (VU) - IUCN Red List

Visayan Leopard Cat or Maral (Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus) is the subspecies population in the Philippine Islands of Negros, Cebu and Panay.


Like their relatives, the unlikely ancestors of Bengal cats but not closely related.

Physical Appearance

The fur of the Visayan leopard cat is dark ochre to buffy fawn with large and dark spots. Its skull is a little narrower than that of Sumatran leopard cat and Bornean leopard cat, also with hazel eyes.

Abilities

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.

Ecology

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.

Behavior

The Prionailurus genus is friendly but became territorial when it came too close.

Distribution and Habitat

The Visayan leopard cat is endemic to the Philippine islands of Panay and Negros where it inhabits remnant forest fragments. In Cebu, it has also been recorded in sugarcane farms.


Tamed

Ugh.

Lore

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.

Gallery

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JPG render

Foreign Languages

Trivia