Theleopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is asmall wild cat native to continentalSouth,Southeast, andEast Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed asLeast Concern on theIUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range.[1]
Historically, the leopard cat of continental Asia was considered the samespecies as theSunda leopard cat. As of 2017, the latter is recognised as a distinct species, with thetaxonomic namePrionailurus javanensis.[2]
Leopard catsubspecies differ widely in fur colour, tail length, skull shape and size ofcarnassials.[3] Archaeological evidence indicates that the leopard cat was the first cat species domesticated inNeolithic China about 5,000 years ago inShaanxi andHenan Provinces.[4]
A leopard cat is about the size of adomestic cat, but more slender, with longer legs and well-defined webs between its toes. Its small head is marked with two prominent dark stripes and a short and narrow white muzzle. There are two dark stripes running from the eyes to the ears and smaller white streaks running from the eyes to the nose. The backs of its moderately long and rounded ears are black with central white spots. Body and limbs are marked with black spots of varying size and colour, and along its back are two to four rows of elongated spots. The tail is about half the size of its head-body length and is spotted with a few indistinct rings near the black tip. The background colour of the spotted fur is tawny, with a white chest and belly. However, in their huge range, they vary so much in colouration and size of spots as well as in body size and weight that initially they were thought to be several differentspecies. The fur colour is yellowish brown in the southern populations, but pale silver-grey in the northern ones. The black markings may be spotted,rosetted, or may even form dotted streaks, depending on subspecies. In thetropics, leopard cats 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. In northern China andSiberia, they weigh up to 7.1 kg (16 lb), and have head-body lengths of up to 75 cm (30 in); generally, they put on weight before winter and become thinner until spring.[5] Shoulder height is about 41 cm (16 in).[citation needed]
Felis bengalensis was thescientific name proposed byRobert Kerr in 1792 for a leopard cat fromBengal.[6] In the subsequent decades, 20 more leopard catspecimens were described and named, including:[7]
Felis euptilura (Elliot, 1871) based on two skins from Siberia. One was depicted inGustav Radde's illustration cum description of a wild cat; the other was part of a collection at theRegent'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 binomialeuptilura given by Elliott has been incorrectly changed to "euptilurus" by some later authors, but under theInternational Code of Zoological Nomenclature Article 31.2.1, nouns and noun phrases are not subject to gender agreement;[10] at present, both terms appear in use, but only the spelling "euptilura" is correct.
Felis manchurica (Mori, 1922) from the vicinity ofMukden in Manchuria was a light grey spotted skin.[11]
In 1939,Reginald Innes Pocock subordinated them to the genusPrionailurus. The collection of theNatural History Museum, London comprised several skulls and large numbers of skins of leopard cats from various regions. Based on this broad variety of skins, he proposed to differentiate between a southernsubspeciesP. bengalensis bengalensis from warmerlatitudes to the west and east of theBay of Bengal, and a northernP. bengalensis horsfieldi from theHimalayas, having a fuller winter coat than the southern. His description of leopard cats from the areas ofGilgit andKarachi under thetrinomenPrionailurus bengalensis trevelyani is based on seven skins that had longer, paler and more greyish fur than those from the Himalayas. He assumed thattrevelyani inhabits more rocky, less forested habitats thanbengalensis andhorsfieldi.[12]
Iriomote catP. b. iriomotensis (Imaizumi, 1967) from the island ofIriomote, one of theRyukyu Islands in theJapanese Archipelago;[14] Initially, the Iriomote cat was recognised as a distinct species, but followingmtDNA analysis in the 1990s was considered a leopard cat subspecies.[15]
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Russian zoologistsGeptner, 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 termAmur 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 themorphological similarities they did not support classifying the Amur cat as a species.[18]
Molecular analysis of 39 leopard cat tissue samples clearly showed threeclades: a northern lineage and southern lineages 1 and 2. The northern lineage comprises leopard cats fromTsushima Islands, theKorean Peninsula, the continentalFar East, Taiwan, andIriomote Island. Southern lineage 1, comprising Southeast Asian populations, showed highergenetic diversity. Southern lineage 2 is genetically distant from the other lineages.[19]
Following a revision of Felidae taxonomy in 2017, two leopard catspecies 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 theRussian Far East.
theSunda leopard cat (P. javanensis) is native to Java, Bali, Borneo, Sumatra, Palawan, Negros, Cebu, Panay, and possibly theMalay 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.
The leopard cat is the most widely distributed Asian small wild cat. Its range extends from theAmur region in theRussian Far East over theKorean Peninsula, China,Indochina, theIndian Subcontinent to northernPakistan. It lives in tropical evergreen rainforests and plantations at sea level, in subtropicaldeciduous andconiferous forests in the foothills of theHimalayas at elevations above 1,000 m (3,300 ft).[5] It is able to tolerate human-modified landscapes with vegetation cover to some degree, and inhabits agriculturally used areas such asoil palm andsugar cane plantations.[5][23]
In the northeast of its range it lives close to rivers, valleys and inravine 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] InAfghanistan, it was reported in the 1970s from Jalalkot and Norgul in theKunar Valley, and the Waygul forest ofDare Pech.[28]
A leopard cat photographed in theSundarbans, IndiaAn alert leopard cat
Leopard cats aresolitary, except during the breeding season. Some are active during the day, but most hunt at night, preferring to stalkmurids,tree shrews andhares. They are agile climbers and quite arboreal in their habits. They rest in trees, but also hide in dense thorny undergrowth on the ground.[29] There, leopard cats feed on a large proportion of rats compared to forested areas.[23]
Leopard cats can swim, but seldom do so. They produce a similar range of vocalisations to the domestic cat. Both sexesscent mark their territory byspraying urine, leaving faeces in exposed locations,head rubbing, and scratching.[5]
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]
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. Theirgestation 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 double their weight and are 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 reachsexual 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]
Skin and skin details from an identification guide for law enforcement agents
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 theEuropean 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]
InMyanmar, 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 ofCITES is considered inadequate.[34]
The leopard cat is listed inCITES Appendix II. InHong Kong, it isprotected under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap 170. The population is well over 50,000 individuals and, although declining, the cat is not endangered.[1]
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 theEndangered Species Act since 1976; except under permit, it is prohibited to import, export, sell, purchase and transport leopard cats ininterstate commerce.[37] A permit is required for the import or exportation of the Asian leopard cat. Those who import/export without a CITES permit face large fines.[38]
Leopard cats are considered anumbrella species, being the second most effective umbrella species for core habitat protection.[39] The only animal ahead of the leopard cat as an effective umbrella species is the Asian elephant.[39] Umbrella species' protection indirectly protects other species within its ecosystem.[39] As an umbrella species, leopard cats play a role in the conservation of many species within its ecosystem, being more effective than larger predators.[39] Along with being an umbrella species, leopard cats areindicator species, meaning their presence is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.[40] When leopard cats are present, their prey species are more controlled and larger predator species' health is improved, meaning the entire ecosystem is healthier.[40]
TheBengal cat is across breed between the leopard cat and the domestic cat. It was introduced to cat shows in the 1970s. The fifth generation is marked like a leopard cat.[42] This hybrid is usually permitted to be kept as a pet without a license. The founding parents from theF1–F3 generations of breeding are usually reserved forbreeding stock purposes or the specialty-pet home environment.[43]
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