Mainland Leopard Cat

About the Mainland Leopard Cat

The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is a small wild cat with dark spots on the tawny-coloured body and limbs. It has two dark stripes running from the eyes to the ears and smaller white streaks running from the eyes to the nose, and two to four rows of elongated spots along its back. Its tail is about half the size of its head-to-body length.

The leopard cat is native to continental South, Southeast and East Asia. It inhabits tropical evergreen rainforests, subtropical deciduous and coniferous forests up to an elevation of 4,474 m (14,678 ft) in the Himalayas. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely distributed although threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range.

A leopard cat is about the size of a domestic 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... Wikipedia →