Скачать или смотреть Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis): Characteristics, Habitat, Ecology & Behaviour and Status

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Leopard cat is a small forest dwelling cat found across India, Southeast Asia and nearby islands. It is widely threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range. The mainland leopard cat has most recently been assessed for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2021 and listed as Least Concern.
Characteristics:
A leopard cat is about the size of a domestic cat but more slender with longer legs and well defined webs between it's toes. Its small head is marked with 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. Body limbs are marked with black spots of varying size and colour and along its back are two to four rows of elongated spots
The fur is yellowish brown in Southern population but pale silver grey in northern ones. In the tropics leopard cats weigh 0.55 - 3.8 kg and head-body lengths of 38.8 - 66 cm with long17.2 - 31 cm tail. However in northern China and Siberia they weigh up to 7.1 kg and head-body length of up to 75 cm and shoulder height is about 41 cm.
Distribution and Habitat:
The Leopard cat is the most widely distributed Asian small wild cat. Its range extends from the Amur region in the Russia far east over the Korean Peninsula, China, Indo China, the Indian Subcontinent to Northern Pakistan.
It lives in tropical evergreen rainforest and plantation at sea level, in subtropical deciduous and coniferous forest in the foot-hills of Himalayas above 1000m . It is also able to tolerate Human modified landscapes with vegetation cover to some extent.
Ecology and Behaviour:
Leopard cat are solitary except during the mating or breeding season. Some are active during the day, but most hunt at night preferring to stalk murids, tree shrews and hares. The are agile climbers and quite arboreal in their habit.
Leopard cat are carnivorous, feeding on variety of small prey including mammals, lizards, amphibians, birds and insects.

Conservation Status:
In China leopard cats are are hunted mainly for their fur. It continues to be hunted throughout it's distribution range for fur, food and for sale as a pet.
CITES: Appendix I
IWPA: Schedule I
IUCN Red List: Least Concern

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