Leopard cat
Leopard cat | |
---|---|
Indian leopard cat (P. b. bengalensis) | |
Amur leopard cat (P. b. euptilura) both at the Parc des Félins | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Felinae |
Genus: | Prionailurus |
Species: | P. bengalensis
|
Binomial name | |
Prionailurus bengalensis (Kerr, 1792)
| |
Distribution of the leopard cat, 2022[1] |
The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is a
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.[2]
Leopard cat
Characteristics
A leopard cat is about the size of a
Taxonomy
Felis bengalensis was the
- Felis nipalensis (Horsfield & Vigors, 1829) from Nepal
- Felis chinensis (Gray, 1837) from Canton Province, China
- Leopardus ellioti (Gray, 1842) from the area of Bombay Presidency
- Felis horsfieldi (Gray, 1842) from Bhutan
- Felis wagati (Gray, 1867) and Felis tenasserimensis (Gray, 1867) from Tenasserim
- Felis microtis (Peking area; and also from Tsushima Island.[8]
- Felis euptilura (Regent's Park Zoo. The ground colour of both was light brownish-yellow, strongly mixed with grey and covered with reddish-brown spots, head grey with a dark-red stripe across the cheek.[9] The initial binomial euptilura given by Elliott has been incorrectly changed to "euptilurus" by some later authors, but under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature Article 31.2.1, nouns and noun phrases are not subject to gender agreement; at present, both terms appear in use, but only the spelling "euptilura" is correct.[10]
- Felis manchurica (Mukden in Manchuria was a light grey spotted skin.[11]
In 1939,
Two more subspecies were proposed and described:
- P. b. alleni (Sody, 1949) from Hainan Island[13]
- mtDNA analysis in the 1990s was considered a leopard cat subspecies.[15]
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Russian zoologists Geptner, Gromov and Baranova disagreed with this classification. They emphasized the differences of skins and skulls at their disposal and the ones originating in Southeast Asia, and coined the term Amur forest cat, which they regarded as a distinct species.[16][17] In 1987, Chinese zoologists pointed out the affinity of leopard cats from northern China, Amur cats and leopard cats from southern latitudes. In view of the morphological similarities they did not support classifying the Amur cat as a species.[18]
Following a revision of Felidae taxonomy in 2017, two leopard cat species are now recognised, based on molecular analyses, morphological differences, and biogeographic separation:[2]
- the mainland leopard cat (P. bengalensis) is widely distributed on mainland Asia, from Pakistan to Southeast Asia, China, and the Russian Far East.
- the Sunda leopard cat (P. javanensis) is native to Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra, Palawan, Negros, Cebu, Panay, and possibly the Malay Peninsula.
Two mainland leopard cat subspecies are currently recognised:[2]
- P. b. bengalensis (Kerr, 1792) ranges in South and East Asia, from Pakistan to China, and probably the Malay Peninsula; and
- P. b. euptilura (Elliott, 1871) is native to the Russian Far East, Manchuria, Korea, Taiwan, Iriomote and Tsushima Islands.
Phylogeny
The Prionailurus species are estimated to have had a
Both models agree in the rusty-spotted cat (P. rubiginosus) having been the first cat of this evolutionary lineage that genetically diverged, followed by the flat-headed cat (P. planiceps) and then the fishing cat (P. viverrinus).[20][22] It is estimated to have diverged together with the leopard cat between 4.31 to 1.74 million years ago[20] and 4.25 to 0.02 million years ago.[22]The following cladogram shows the phylogenetic relationships of the leopard cat as derived through analysis of nuclear DNA:[20][21]
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Distribution and habitat
The leopard cat is the most widely distributed Asian small wild cat. Its range extends from the
In 2009, a leopard cat was recorded by a
In the northeast of its range it lives close to rivers, valleys and in ravine forests, but avoids areas with more than 10 cm (3.9 in) of snowfall.[26] It is rare in Pakistan's arid treeless areas.[27] In Afghanistan, it was reported in the 1970s from Jalalkot and Norgul in the Kunar Valley, and the Waygul forest of Dare Pech.[28]
In
In the
Ecology and behaviour
Leopard cats are
Leopard cats can swim, but seldom do so. They produce a similar range of vocalisations to the domestic cat. Both sexes
Diet
Leopard cats are carnivorous, feeding on a variety of small prey including mammals, lizards, amphibians, birds and insects. In most parts of their range, small rodents such as rats and mice form the major part of their diet, which is often supplemented with grass, eggs, poultry, and aquatic prey. They are active hunters, dispatching their prey with a rapid pounce and bite. Unlike many other small cats, they do not "play" with their food, maintaining a tight grip with their claws until the animal is dead. This may be related to the relatively high proportion of birds in their diet, which are more likely to escape when released than are rodents.[5]
Reproduction and development
The breeding season of leopard cats varies depending on the climate. In tropical habitats, kittens are born throughout the year. In colder habitats farther north, females give birth in spring. Their gestation period lasts 60–70 days. Litter size varies between two and three kittens. Captive-born kittens weighed 75 to 130 grams (2.6 to 4.6 oz) at birth and opened their eyes by 15 days of age. Within two weeks, they doubled their weight and were four times their birth weight at the age of five weeks. At the age of four weeks, their permanent canines break through, and they begin to eat meat. Captive females reach sexual maturity earliest at the age of one year and have their first litter at the age of 13 to 14 months. Captive leopard cats have lived for up to thirteen years.[5]
The
Threats
In China, leopard cats are hunted mainly for their fur. Between 1984 and 1989, about 200,000 skins were exported yearly. A survey carried out in 1989 among major fur traders revealed more than 800,000 skins on stock. Since the European Union imposed an import ban in 1988, Japan has become the main importing country, and received 50,000 skins in 1989.[33] Although commercial trade is much reduced, the leopard cat continues to be hunted throughout most of its range for fur, food, and for sale as a pet. It is widely viewed as a poultry thief and killed in retribution.[1]
In Myanmar, 483 body parts of at least 443 individuals were observed in four markets surveyed between 1991 and 2006. Numbers were significantly larger than non-threatened species. Three of the surveyed markets are situated on international borders with China and Thailand, and cater to international buyers, although the leopard cat is completely protected under Myanmar's national legislation. Implementation and enforcement of CITES is considered inadequate.[34]
Conservation
The leopard cat is listed in
The Tsushima leopard cat is listed as Critically Endangered on the Japanese Red List of Endangered Species, and has been the focus of a conservation program funded by the Japanese government since 1995.[35] It is threatened by habitat loss, including from logging in the 1950s and 1960s, and a growing deer population which removes undergrowth that the Tsushima cat hunts for rodents in. The historical population has been split into two by the dividing of Tsushima island by a canal, and the southern population was thought extinct until a sighting in 2007. A recorded 122 individuals were killed by cars from 1992 to 2022. A captive breeding program has been initiated, but has not led to any successful reintroductions.[36]
In the United States, the leopard cat is listed as Endangered under the
Leopard cats and hybrids as pets
The
Explanatory notes
- ^ Prionailurus bengalensis bengalensis is listed in Appendix I.
References
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- ^ a b c Kitchener, A. C.; Breitenmoser-Würsten, C.; Eizirik, E.; Gentry, A.; Werdelin, L.; Wilting, A.; Yamaguchi, N.; Abramov, A. V.; Christiansen, P.; Driscoll, C.; Duckworth, J. W.; Johnson, W.; Luo, S.-J.; Meijaard, E.; O’Donoghue, P.; Sanderson, J.; Seymour, K.; Bruford, M.; Groves, C.; Hoffmann, M.; Nowell, K.; Timmons, Z.; Tobe, S. (2017). "A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group" (PDF). Cat News. Special Issue 11: 26–29.
- ^ Groves, C. P. (1997). "Leopard-cats, Prionailurus bengalensis (Carnivora: Felidae) from Indonesia and the Philippines, with the description of two new subspecies". Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 62: 330–338.
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- ^ ISBN 978-0-226-77999-7. Archivedfrom the original on 2022-04-17. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
- ^ Kerr, R. (1792). "Bengal Tiger-Cat Felis bengalensis". The Animal Kingdom or zoological system of the celebrated Sir Charles Linnaeus. Class I. Mammalia. Edinburgh & London: A. Strahan & T. Cadell. p. 151−152.
- ^ Ellerman, J. R.; Morrison-Scott, T. C. S. (1966). "Felis bengalensis Kerr, 1792 Leopard Cat". Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian mammals 1758 to 1946 (Second ed.). London: British Museum of Natural History. pp. 312–313.
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- ^ Elliott, D. G. (1871). "Remarks on Various Species of Felidae, with a Description of a Species from North-Western Siberia". Proceedings of the Scientific Meetings of the Zoological Society of London: 765–761.
- ^ "International Code of Zoological Nomenclature". www.nhm.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-12-26. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
- ^ Mori, T. (1922). "On some new Mammals from Korea and Manchuria". The Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Including Zoology, Botany, and Geology. Ninth. X: 609–610.
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- ^ Sody, H. J. V. (1949). "Notes on some Primates, Carnivora and the babirusa from the Indo-Malayan and Indo-Australian regions". Treubia. 20: 121–190.
- ^ a b Imaizumi, Y. (1967). "A new genus and species of cat from Iriomote, Ryukyu Islands". Journal of Mammalian Society Japan. 3 (4): 74.
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- ^ Gromov, I.M., Baranova, G.I., Baryšnikov, G. F. (eds.) (1981). Katalog mlekopitaûŝih SSSR : pliocen--sovremennostʹ Zoologičeskij Institut "Nauka." Leningradskoe otdelenie, Leningrad
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- ^ Ghimirey, Y.; Ghimire, B. (2010). "Leopard Cat at high altitude in Makalu-Barun National Park, Nepal". Cat News (52): 16–17.
- ^ Thapa, K.; Pradhan, N. M. B.; Barker, J.; Dahal, M.; Bhandari, A. R.; Gurung, G. S.; Rai, D. P.; Thapa, G. J.; Shrestha, S.; Singh, G. R. (2013). "High elevation record of a leopard cat in the Kangchenjunga Conservation Area, Nepal". Cat News (58): 26–27.
- ^ Heptner, V. G.; Sludskij, A. A. (1992) [1972]. "Amur, or Far Eastern Forest Cat". Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats)]. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 328–355.
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- ^ Li, S.; Wang, D.; Lu, Z.; Mc Shea, W. J. (2010). "Cats living with pandas: The status of wild felids within giant panda range, China". Cat News (52): 20–23.
- ^ Ministry of the Environment, Tsushima Wildlife Conservation Center (2005). National Endangered Species Tsushima Leopard Cat - English Version Archived 2013-01-05 at the Wayback Machine.
- ISBN 978-4-87974-691-7. Archivedfrom the original on 2018-09-16. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
- ^ Nowell, K.; Jackson, P. (1996). "Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis (Kerr 1792): Principal Threats". Wild Cats: status survey and conservation action plan. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24.
- ^ Shepherd, C. R.; Nijman, V. (2008). The wild cat trade in Myanmar (PDF). Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia: TRAFFIC Southeast Asia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2010-07-04. Retrieved 2011-02-19.
- ^ Murayama, A. (2008). The Tsushima Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilura): Population Viability Analysis and Conservation Strategy (PDF) (MSc thesis). London: Imperial College London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2013-01-03.
- ^ Annelise Giseburt (24 October 2023). "Meet Japan's Iriomote and Tsushima cats: Ambassadors for island conservation". Mongabay. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ Department of the Interior (1976). "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. Endangered Status of 159 Taxa of Animals" (PDF). Federal Register. 41 (115): 24062−24067. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2012-11-28.
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External links
- "Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis". Cat Specialist Group.