Leopard cat

The leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as least concern by IUCN. It is widely distributed, but habitat loss and hunting occurs in places. There are twelve leopard cat subspecies, which differ widely in appearance and were once thought to be separate species. The Sunda Leopard Cat is accepted as a species.

The small cat is similar to the domestic cat but with longer legs. It is not closely related to the leopard but has leopard-like spots.

 Distribution 
Leopard cats are the most widely distributed Asian small cats. Their range extends from the Russian Far East, Korea, China, Indochina, the Indian subcontinent, northern Pakistan, the Philippines and the Sunda Islands of Indonesia.

They prefer forested habitats, but are found in agriculturally used areas. They live in tropical evergreen rainforests and plantations at sea level, and in subtropical deciduous and conifer forests in the foothills of the Himalayas above .Sunquist M. & Sunquist F. 2002. Wild cats of the World. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 225–232. 

The highest altitudinal record was at  in the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area.WCN (2012). Leopard Cat found at 4500m . Wildlife Conservation Nepal.

In the northeast of their range they live close to rivers, valleys and in ravine forests, but avoid areas with more than  of snowfall.Heptner V.G. et al 1992. Mammals of the Soviet Union. Vol III: Carnivores (Feloidea). Smithsonian Institute and the National Science Foundation, Washington DC They are rare in Pakistan’s dry treeless areas.Roberts T.J. 1977. The mammals of Pakistan. Ernest Benn, London. In Afghanistan, they were reported in the 1970s from Jalalkot and Norgul in the Kunar Valley, and the Waygul forest of Dare Pech.Habibi K. 2004. Mammals of Afghanistan. Zoo Outreach Organisation, Coimbatore, India.

 Related pages 
Prionailurus
Iriomote cat

 References 

Category:Felines
Category:Mammals of Asia