| Flat-headed cat | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Prionailurus |
| Species: | P. planiceps[1] |
| Binomial name | |
| Prionailurus planiceps[1] | |
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| Distribution of the flat-headed cat, 2015[2] | |
Theflat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps) is asmall wild cat with short reddish-brown fur. Its head is elongated, and its ears are rounded. Its slender body is 41 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) long with a tail of 13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in), and it weighs 1.5 to 2.5 kg (3.3 to 5.5 lb).
The flat-headed cat was first described in 1827 based on azoological specimen collected inSumatra. It is also native to theThai-Malay Peninsula andBorneo, and inhabitswetlands like mixedfreshwater swamp forests, peat swamp forests and lowland freshwaterswamps near rivers and coastal areas. It preys foremost onfish,frogs andcrustaceans.
The flat-headed cat is threatened byhabitat destruction due to conversion for settlements, agriculture and oil palmplantations. It has been listed on theIUCN Red List asEndangered since 2008.
Thescientific nameFelis planiceps was proposed byNicholas Aylward Vigors andThomas Horsfield in 1827, who first described a skin of a flat-headed cat specimen collected inSumatra.[3]Prionailurus was proposed byNikolai Severtzov in 1858 asgeneric name for spotted wild cats native to Asia. He proposed the generic nameIctailurus for the flat-headed cat.[4]
In 1951,Ellerman andMorrison-Scott grouped the flat-headed cat with thefishing cat (P. viverrinus), assuming it occurs inLower Siam,Patani, theMalay States, Sumatra and Borneo.[5] It was subordinated to the genusPrionailurus by Ingrid Weigel in 1961 who compared fur patterns of wild and domestic cats.[6] It was grouped intoIctailurus in 1997 following a study onmitochondrial genes of cat species.[7]Today, it is still considered to be aPrionailurus species.[1][8]
Phylogenetic analysis of thenuclear DNA in tissue samples from allFelidae species revealed that theirevolutionary radiation began in Asia in theMiocene around14.45 to 8.38 million years ago.[9][10] Analysis ofmitochondrial DNA of Felidae species indicates a radiation at around16.76 to 6.46 million years ago.[11]Both models agree in therusty-spotted cat (P. rubiginosus) having been the first cat of thePrionailuruslineage thatgenetically diverged, followed by the flat-headed cat and then the fishing cat.[9][11] It is estimated to have diverged together with theleopard cat (P. bengalensis) between4.31 to 1.74 million years ago[9] and4.25 to 0.02 million years ago.[11]
The followingcladogram shows their phylogenetic relationship as derived through analysis of nuclear DNA:[9][10]
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The flat-headed cat is reddish-brown on top of the head, dark roan brown on the body with a mottled white underbelly. Its face is lighter in colour than the body, and its muzzle and chin are white. Two prominent buff whitish streaks run on either side of the nose between the eyes. It has rounded ears, and its eyes are set close together, giving it improvedstereoscopic vision. The teeth together with well-muscled jaws facilitate catching and retaining slippery prey. The legs are fairly short, and the sheaths of its retractileclaws are reduced in size so that about two-thirds are protruding.[12] The depressedskull extends along the nose to the extremity of the muzzle, the sides of which are laterally distended. The head itself is lengthened and cylindrical, and the teeth are unusually long. The body is slender, and the extremities are delicate and lengthened.[3]The anterior upperpremolars are larger and sharper relative to other cats. The interdigital webs on its paws help the cat gain better traction in muddy environments and water.[13]
It has a head-and-body length of 41 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) and a short tail of 13 to 15 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in).[12] It weighs 1.5 to 2.5 kg (3.3 to 5.5 lb).[14]
The flat-headed cat's distribution is restricted to lowlandtropical rainforests in extreme southernThailand,Peninsular Malaysia,Sumatra andBorneo. It primarily inhabitsfreshwater habitats near coastal and lowland areas. More than 70% of records were collected less than 3 km (1.9 mi) away from water.[15]
In peninsular Malaysia, flat-headed cats were recorded inPasoh Forest Reserve in 2013 less than 1.5 km (0.93 mi) away from oil palm plantations. This detection suggests that the flat-headed cat is more tolerant of changes in its surrounding environment than previously assumed.[16] As Pasoh Forest Reserve contains no major rivers or lakes and is generally covered by hilldipterocarp forest, this detection provides new evidence of the flat-headed cat's potential habitat range. The reserve ranks as low probability of occurrence in a previously published species distribution model.[15]
In Sumatra, flat-headed cats were recorded bycamera traps on theKampar Peninsula for the first time in 2015; until 2019, a total of 11 records were obtained in thispeat swamp forest at an elevation of 1–7 m (3 ft 3 in – 23 ft 0 in), and at most 1.2 km (0.75 mi) away from a river or canal.[17]
InKalimantan, flat-headed cats were recorded in mixedswamp forest and tall interior forest at elevations below 20 m (66 ft) in the vicinity ofSabangau National Park.[18]InSarawak, a flat-headed cat was sighted and photographed on the bank of Maludam River inMaludam National Park in 2013. In Ulu Sebuyau National Park, flat-headed cats were recorded less than 80 m (260 ft) away fromSarawak River.[19]
In Thailand, the flat-headed cat was thought to be extinct, because it had not been seen since 1995, until it was recorded multiple times in 2024 and 2025 during acamera trap survey inPrincess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary in the far south of the country.[20]
It is difficult to study the cat, which lives in thick vegetation in wet areas. Camera-trap photos are rare.[21] Flat-headed cats recorded in Kalimantan were foremost active by night.[18] They are presumably solitary, and probably maintain their home ranges byscent marking. In captivity, both females and males spray urine by walking forward in a crouching position, leaving a trail on the ground.[22] Anecdotal historical accounts report that they arenocturnal, but an adult captive female wascrepuscular and most active between 8:00 and 11:30 and between 18:00 and 22:00 hours.[12]
The stomach contents of an adult shot on a Malaysian riverbank consisted only offish. They have been observed to wash objects,raccoon-style. Live fish are readily taken, with full submergence of the head, and the fish were usually carried at least 2 m (6 ft 7 in) away, suggesting a feeding strategy to avoid letting aquatic prey escape back into water. Captive specimens show much greater interest in potential prey in the water than on dry land, suggesting a strong preference for riverine hunting in their natural habitat.[23] Their morphological specializations suggest that their diet is mostly composed of fish, but they are reported to hunt forfrogs, and are thought to catchcrustaceans.[12] They also catchrats andchickens.[13]
Vocalizations of a flat-headed cat kitten resembled those of a domestic cat. The vocal repertoire of adults has not been analyzed completely, but they purr and give other short-ranged vocalizations.[24]
Theirgestation period lasts about 56 days. Of threelitters recorded in captivity, one consisted of two kittens; the other two were singletons. Two captive individuals have lived for 14 years.[12][13]
The flat-headed cat is foremost threatened by destruction of wetlands and lowland forests, andenvironmental degradation.[13] Thishabitat destruction is caused by conversion of natural habitats for settlements,plantations,agriculture andaquaculture, and clearing ofmangroves.Overfishing in wetlands and expansion ofoil palm plantations are considered to be significant threats.[2] Incidentaltrapping is also a threat,[12] as some flat-headed cats are reported to have been caught in traps set to protect domesticfowl.[13] Collision with cars and competition with domestic cats could pose serious threats as well.[16]
The flat-headed cat is included onCITES Appendix I. It is fully protected by national legislations in all range countries, with hunting and trade prohibited in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.[2]
Songkhla Zoo kept three flat-headed cats as of 2017, which were all born in this zoo in 2009 by captive parents.[25]
