Alias:Prionailurus rubiginosus,Rusty-spotted Cat,Rusty Cat
Outline:Carnivora
Family:Schizopoda Felinae Ocelot
length:35-48cm
Weight:800-1600g
Life:About 16 years
IUCN:LC
Rusty-spotted cat (scientific name: Prionailurus rubiginosus), also known as Rusty-spotted Cat, or simply Rusty-spotted cat, is a very small wild cat with two subspecies.
Rusty-spotted cats are small, agile, and active. They are nocturnal animals. They mostly sleep in their dens during the day and come out at night. They live semi-arboreal and are good climbers. They can easily hunt in trees. They mainly catch birds and small rodent mammals, but they also catch reptiles, lizards, insects, and frogs to supplement their nutrition. In addition, they will attack human poultry whenever possible.
In India, rusty-spotted cats breed in the spring, with a gestation period of about 67 days and one to three cubs born each time. The little ones only develop the same markings as their parents when they grow up. In captivity, rusty-spotted cats can live for about 16 years. The breeding season is from January to March, the gestation period is 10 weeks, and kittens are generally born around April. Kittens have thicker fur than adult cats.
Deforestation and habitat loss are the main threats to the survival of the rusty-spotted cat. Although the rusty-spotted cat is sometimes hunted by locals for food, the main threat to the survival of the rusty-spotted cat is still the loss of habitat. Since 2000, people in southern India have also found traces of them in abandoned houses in human settlements, and in Sri Lanka, people have also seen rusty-spotted cats in tea gardens, indicating that they have a certain ability to adapt to environmental changes. Both India and Sri Lanka have enacted laws to protect rusty-spotted cats.
Listed in the 2021 Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) - Near Threatened (NT).
The Indian subspecies is listed in the CITES Appendix I of the Washington Convention.
The Sri Lankan subspecies is listed in the CITES Appendix II of the Washington Convention.
Protect wild animals and stop eating game.
Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!