Prionailurus bengalensis (Kerr, 1792)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Felidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 54-168 : 162-163

32.

Leopard Cat

Prionailurus bengalensis

French: Chat du Bengale / German: Bengalkatze / Spanish: Gato bengali

Taxonomy. Felis bengalensis Kerr, 1792 ,

Bengal, India.

Taxonomy in need of reevaluation, especially the subspecific distinctness of island forms. Race iriomotensis described as separate species, but key characters found to be polymorphic in P. bengalensis and genetic analysis suggest subspecific status; race euptilurus considered a distinct species based on comparisons between Russian specimens and those from South-east Asia, but these distinctions do not hold when intervening Chinese populations. Race alleni possibly not distint from chinensis and borneoensis not distinct from sumatranus. Twelve subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

P. b. bengalensis Kerr, 1792 — Indian and Indochinese region and Malay Peninsula.

P.b. alleni Sody, 1949 — Hainan I.

P. b. borneoensis Brongersma, 1935 — Borneo.

P. b. chinensis Gray, 1837 — China, except for NE, and Taiwan.

P. b. euptilurus Elliot, 1871 — Manchurian region, Korean and Russian Far East.

P. b. heaneyi Groves, 1997 — the Philippines (Palawan).

P. b. horsfieldi Gray, 1842 — Sub-Himalayan region E of Indus River.

P. b. iriomotensis Imaizumi, 1967 — Japan (Iriomote I).

P. b. javanensis Desmarest, 1816 — Java and Bali.

P. b. rabori Groves, 1997 — the Philippines (Negros, Cebu & Panay).

P. b. sumatranus Horsfield, 1821 — Sumatra and Nias I.

P. b. trevelyani Pocock, 1939 — Kashmir.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 45-75 cm, tail 19.5-31. 5 cm; weight 1.7-7. 1 kg. Adult males larger than females and there is considerable geographic variation in size. Cats from Russia and northern China are two to three times larger than from Borneo and southern portions of Asia. Coat color and pattern also show significant variation across the geographic range. Individuals from northern areas have long, full coats that are a pale silvery gray, whereas the background coat color ofcats living near the equator is yellow ocher or brownish. Black spots mark the body and limbs, sometimes coalescing to form lines. There are often two to four rows of elongated lines along the back. Thetail is spotted and the tip is black. Muzzle is white and the backs of the ears have a white central spot. Feet are long and narrow, with well-developed webbing between the toes.

Habitat. The broadest distribution ofall small Asian felids, extending from southern India to the islands on the Sunda Shelf and north to the Russian Far East. They are found in a great variety of forest types, from lowland tropical evergreen rainforest and rubber and oil palm plantations at sea level to moist temperate broadleaf and dry coniferous forests in the Himalayas at 3000 m. Also does well in successional habitats, shrub forest, farmlands, and on coastal islands. It is rarely found in cold steppe grasslands or arid areas. In Russia is commonly associated with river valleys, forested ravines and coastal habitats where the cover is deciduous broadleaf forest. Their small feet are not well adapted for moving in deep snow and they avoid areas where snow depth exceeds 10 cm. Radio-collared cats in Thailand’s Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary rarely visited the dry deciduous dipterocarp forest, a firemaintained habitat with little understory vegetation; they preferred mixed deciduous and dry evergreen forest habitats, especially those associated with watercourses. These habitats not only offered more cover but they also harbored more prey. Similarly, radio-tagged cats in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, used the oil palm plantations just outside the Reserve more than expected, presumably because of the high density of Whitehead’s Rats, the cats’ principle prey.

Food and Feeding. Feeds on a variety of small prey, including rodents, reptiles, birds, amphibians, crabs, and insects. They are excellent swimmers and captives spend much time playing in water. Small birds were the principal prey in Pakistan; secondary prey included wood mice ( Muridae ) and flying squirrels. In Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand, small mammals, principally Rattus spp. and Mus spp. were the dominant prey; incidential prey included Tree Shrews and hares. Based on an analysis of 230 scats, on Tsushima Island, Japan, fed largely on murid rats (726%), but they also ate moles, birds, amphibians, and insects. On Iriomote Island, 95 prey species were identified in 849 scats. Rats were the dominant prey, but flying foxes, skinks, and birds were also important. Incidental prey included amphibians, crabs, and insects. In Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, murid rats, especially Whitehead’s Sundaic Maxomys and the Sundaic Arboreal Niviventer , formed the bulk of the diet, although lizards, snakes, and frogs were also important, particularly in the wet season. On Peninsular Malaysia, forest and field rats ( Muridae ) were the major prey, but the remains of lizards ( Varanidae ), snakes ( Xenopeltidae ), tree shrews, and crabs were also identified in stomachs.

Acitivity patterns. Radio-collared individuals in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, were nocturnal, but levels of nighttime activity were significantly higher in the dry season than in the wet season. While the levels of nocturnal activity were reduced in the wet season, their levels of daytime activity were significantly higher than in the dry season. The activity patterns of radio-collared individuals in Thailand were arrhythmic, which was attributed to them foraging extensively on both nocturnal and diurnal prey.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. In the dry season at Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, radio-tagged males traveled an average of 1-72 km per night compared to 1-27 km for females; average distances traveled per night in the wet season decreased to 1:06 km and 0-87 km, respectively. Males traveled faster and farther than females, but for both sexes, movement rates were higher in the first half of the night than in the second half. Movement rates for females tended to be slower because their travels were frequently punctuated with long periods of no movement, during which they were presumably sitting and waiting for prey. All observations (n = 67) in Tabin were of solitary individuals. The home ranges of four resident males varied from 2:64 to 3-8 km®. The ranges of two resident females measured 1-93 and 2-25 km*. Ranges of resident males overlapped those of one or more females. In Thailand, the mean home range size in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary was 4-33 km? (range 1-5-7-5 km*) and in Kaeng Krachan National Park it was 3-38 km? (range 2:3-5-4 km?®). On Tsuchima Island, Japan, the mean home range size was 0-83 km?®. Differences in home range sizes are in part related to body size, as cats in Thailand are larger than those on the islands of Borneo and Tsuchima. The effects of differences in resource levels and other environmental conditions among the sites on home range sizes are not known. Some differences in home range sizes may also be due to different methods of analysis. The density in Tabin was estimated at 37-5 adults/ 100 km? which is comparable to the density on Iriomote Island of 34/ 100 km?®.

Breeding. In the northern portion ofits range,is a seasonal breeder, in Russia kittens are born in May. For those living closer to the Equator, births may occur in any month. Gestation lasts 60-70 days and littersize is typically 2-3 young. Young weigh 75-130 g at birth and open their eyes at 10-15 days of age. By the time they are two weeks old, kittens have doubled their birth weight. Permanent canines erupt at about four weeks, which coincides with the young beginning to eat solid food. This new diet results in rapid weight gain and by 13 weeks of age the young have increased their birth weight tenfold. At nine months the young are nearly adult size. In captivity, sexual maturity occurs as early as eight months, and one female produced herfirst litter at 13-14 months of age.

Status and Conservation. Listed on CITES Appendix II, except for populations in India, Thailand, and Bangladesh, which are listed on CITES Appendix I. Classified as a species of Least Concern on the The IUCN Red List. Heavily hunted in many parts of its range and its pelt figures prominently in the fur trade. The Chinese government has set an annual harvest quota of 150,000 individuals, but the actual harvest is probably higher. There are also estimated stockpiles of more than 800,000 pelts in Chinese fur company warehouses. Leopard Cat coats are frequently sold in Nepal and Kashmir. Whereit is not persecuted, appears to be able to coexist with humans. It seems to be an adaptable species, and has been found in secondary forest, successional vegetation, tea, coffee, rubber, and oil palm plantations.

Bibliography. Acharjyo & Mishra (1983), Dathe (1968), Dobroruka (1971), Frese (1980), Grassman (1998a, 2000), Grassman, Tewes, Silvy & Kreetiyutanont (2005), Hemmer (1979), Inoue (1972), Lim (1999), Lim & Rahman bin Omar (1961), Lu Houji & Sheng Helin (1986), Nowell & Jackson (1996), Rabinowitz (1990), Rajaratnam (2000), Rajaratnam et al. (2007), Roberts (1977), Santiapillai & Supraham (1985), Schauenberg (1979a), Singh (2005), Sunquist & Sunquist (2002), Wang Zongyi & Wang Sung (1986), Yasuma (1981, 1988).

Figures

28. Pallas’s Cat (Otocolobus manul), 29. Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), 30. Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps), 31. Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), 32. Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

Subspecies and Distribution. P. b. bengalensis Kerr, 1792 — Indian and Indochinese region and Malay Peninsula. P.b. alleni Sody, 1949 — Hainan I. P. b. borneoensis Brongersma, 1935 — Borneo. P. b. chinensis Gray, 1837 — China , except for NE, and Taiwan . P. b. euptilurus Elliot, 1871 — Manchurian region, Korean and Russian Far East. P. b. heaneyi Groves, 1997 — the Philippines (Palawan). P. b. horsfieldi Gray, 1842 — Sub-Himalayan region E of Indus River. P. b. iriomotensis Imaizumi, 1967 — Japan (Iriomote I). P. b. javanensis Desmarest, 1816 — Java and Bali. P. b. rabori Groves, 1997 — the Philippines (Negros, Cebu & Panay). P. b. sumatranus Horsfield, 1821 — Sumatra and Nias I. P. b. trevelyani Pocock, 1939 — Kashmir.