 the jungle cat (felis chaus) is a medium-sized cat native to asia from southern china in the east through southeast and central asia to the nile valley in the west. it is listed as least concern in the iucn red list of threatened species as it is widespread and common particularly in india. population declines and range contraction are of concern, particularly in egypt, in the caucasus, and in southwestern, central and southeast asia. geographic variation in the jungle cat is quite considerable. due to the small tuft on the ears it is also called the jungle lynx, though it is not a member of the lynx genus.geptner, v. g., sludskii, a. a. (1972). mlekopitaiuÅ¡Äie sovetskogo soiuza. vysÅ¡aia Å kola, moskva (in russian); english translation: heptner, v.g., sludskii, a.a., komarov, a., komorov, n.; hoffmann, r.s. (1992). mammals of the soviet union. vol iii: carnivores (feloidea). smithsonian institution and the national science foundation, washington dc. pp. 356â397. == characteristics == thumb|skull of felis chaus nilotica the jungle cat is the largest of the living felis species. it has a small tuft on the ears, a comparatively short tail, and a distinct spinal crest. because of its long legs, short tail and tuft on the ears, the jungle cat resembles a small lynx. the face is relatively slender. fur colour varies with subspecies, yellowish-grey to reddish-brown or tawny-grey, and is ticked with black. vertical bars are visible on the fur of kittens, which disappear in adult cats, although a few dark markings may be retained on the limbs or tail. the muzzle is white, and the underside is paler in colour than the rest of the body. jungle cats can range from  in length, plus a short {{convert|2
Animals_described_in_1777 Fauna_of_Central_Asia Felis IUCN_Red_List_least_concern_species Mammals_of_Egypt Mammals_of_South_Asia Mammals_of_Southeast_Asia Mammals_of_Southwest_Asia