Marbled Cat
Pardofelis marmorata
|
Marbled Cat Pardofelis marmorata |
Body Length(mm) -450-600 Weight (kg) - 4-7 average Litter Size - 1-4 average Life Span - 12 years Status - Insufficiently Know
P.m.charltoni - Nepal P.m.marmorata - S.E. Tropical Asia |
In
size the marbled cat is similar to a domestic cat and in
appearance has been likened to the clouded
leopard -
however the large mottled blotches on its back and sides
are less well defined than on the clouded leopard and the
dark spots on its underside and lets smaller. The tail of
the marbled cat is extremely long and bushy, often
equalling the body length - this again is a good
indicator of the cats arboreal activity. In coloration
the base fur ranges from pale yellow through to brownish
grey with the under parts being a lighter variation.
Interestingly enough despite the small size of the
marbled cat it its closely related to the big cats of the
Pantherinae group and is place in a genus of its own -
Pardofelis - within this sub-family. The range of the marbled cat extends from the North East of India down through South East Asia to Borneo and Sumatra - it most commonly inhabits forested regions, ranging from high mountain forest as found in Nepal to the dense lowland tropical forests of Borneo. It is probable that the forest canopies provide the marbled cat with much of its prey source which includes birds, squirrels and reptiles, however there are reports that the cat hunts mainly on the ground in parts of its range. Again as with many cats of the forested regions of South East Asi the marbled cat is rarely sighted and as a result little studied. The true population is unknown but due mostly to deforestation throughout much of its range the cat is considered to be endangered and appears in CITES Appendix 1
|
