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Jungle cat

Jungle cat
Indian jungle cat
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Felis
Species:
F. chaus
Binomial name
Felis chaus
Schreber, 1777
Subspecies
  • Felis chaus affinis Gray, 1830
  • Felis chaus chaus Schreber, 1777
  • Felis chaus fulvidina Thomas, 1928
Map of the Eastern Hemisphere showing highlighted range covering portions of southern Asia
Distribution of the jungle cat in 2016[1]
Synonyms[2]
List

The jungle cat (Felis chaus), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx,[3] is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral and riparian areas with dense vegetation. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, and is mainly threatened by destruction of wetlands, trapping and poisoning.[1]

The jungle cat has a uniformly sandy, reddish-brown or grey fur without spots; melanistic and albino individuals are also known. It is solitary in nature, except during the mating season and mother-kitten families.

Adults maintain territories by urine spraying and scent marking. Its preferred prey is small mammals and birds. It hunts by stalking its prey, followed by a sprint or a leap; the ears help in pinpointing the location of prey. Both sexes become sexually mature by the time they are one year old; females enter oestrus from January to March. Mating behaviour is similar to that in the domestic cat: the male pursues the female in oestrus, seizes her by the nape of her neck and mounts her. Gestation lasts nearly two months. Births take place between December and June, though this might vary geographically. Kittens begin to catch their own prey at around six months and leave the mother after eight or nine months.

The species was first described by Johann Anton Güldenstädt in 1776 based on a specimen caught in a Caucasian wetland.[4] Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber gave the jungle cat its present binomial name and is therefore generally considered as binomial authority. Three subspecies are recognised at present.[5]

  1. ^ a b c d Gray, T.N.E.; Timmins, R.J.; Jathana, D.; Duckworth, J.W.; Baral, H. & Mukherjee, S. (2016) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Felis chaus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T8540A200639312. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T8540A200639312.en. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference MSW3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Geptner1972 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Güldenstädt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ 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: 11–13.

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