Marbled Cat
Pardofelis marmorata
Summary 2
The marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is a small wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as vulnerable by IUCN as it occurs at low densities, and its total effective population size is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with no single population numbering more than 1,000.
Description 3
The marbled cat possesses an unusual mixture of small and big cat characteristics (2). Although just three kilograms and about the size of a domestic cat, this species superficially resembles the much larger clouded leopard in its broad feet, enlarged canines and strikingly similar, blotched coat pattern (2) (4) (5). The thick, soft, brownish-yellow fur is covered on the back and sides in large, mottled, irregular-shaped blotches margined with black (4) (5). However, these markings are less well-defined in the marbled cat than those of its larger cousin, tending to be more broken and marbled (hence the name), while the black spots on the limbs are more numerous (4) (6). The bushy tail is extremely long, reflecting the cat's arboreal lifestyle, and similarly marked with black spots and rings (5) (7). Prominent black lines occur on the head, neck and back, starting as dark, interrupted bands running from the corner of each eye up and over the forehead (2) (4). Distinctive dark stripes also mark the cheeks, while the chin, upper lip, cheeks and patches around the eyes are contrastingly white or buff in colour (4) (8). The eyes are amber or golden, and the ears are short, rounded and black, with a conspicuous white to buff spot on the back (4).
Habitat 4
Marbled cats have been recorded in a variety of habitats from sea level to 3,000 meters. Habitats include mixed deciduous-evergreen forest, secondary forest, clearings, six-year-old logged forest, and rocky scrub. Most sources describe this species as primarily arboreal. However many records of marbled cats are single observations and habitat and distribution may be wider than currently recognized.
Range elevation: 0 to 3000 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest
Other Habitat Features: riparian
Fuentes y créditos
- (c) 中国物种信息系统（CSIS）, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://csdb.ioz.ac.cn/images/Upload_images/Animalia/Chordata/Mammalia/CARNIVORA/Felidae/Pardofelis/marmorata/F7121E00-4BFC-4159-9B1D-C2DCD2D81F5F.jpg
- Adaptado por Brian Martin del trabajo de (c) Wikipedia, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardofelis_marmorata
- (c) Wildscreen, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/2608426
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18664626
