![]() The fur is full and soft with widely variable markings. Young are mottled brown until they get their adult markings at about 4 months old. They are close in size to house cats ( Felis catus), but are longer and more slender. The physical appearance of marbled cats is often compared to that of their close relative, clouded leopards ( Neofelis nebulosa). ( "Arkive Images of Life on Earth", 2009 Medway, 1969 Sunquist and Sunquist, 2002) However many records of marbled cats are single observations and habitat and distribution may be wider than currently recognized. Most sources describe this species as primarily arboreal. ![]() ![]() Habitats include mixed deciduous-evergreen forest, secondary forest, clearings, six-year-old logged forest, and rocky scrub. Marbled cats have been recorded in a variety of habitats from sea level to 3,000 meters. ( Medway, 1969 Sunquist and Sunquist, 2002) In the Malay area they are rare and confined to the mainland. This distribution includes areas of northern India, Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. We were able to send $9000.00 in 2022.Marbled cats range from the Eastern Himalayas to Upper Burma and the Indochinese region. We just got this update from the field on conservation work to save the Marbled Cat that you helped us fund if you are a donor to Big Cat Rescue. See Conservation Work Funded By Big Cat Rescue here: 2023 Saving Marbled Cats Information taken from the natural History of Wild Cats, and With Permission from IUCN Wild Cats. How rare is this cat ? The International Species Information Service lists 3 worldwide, with 1 being in the U.S. Apparently rare in nature, this little “big cat” is highly protected and not likely to ever be available from captive-born sources in range countries for North America. A little-known felid from Southeast Asia, all recent captive-born specimens are derived from a single pair of founders at the Los Angeles Zoo. CITES: Appendix I.įelid TAG recommendation: Marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata). Surprisingly and thankfully, for an animal with such a beautiful coat, they are not commonly found in the local wildlife markets. Principal Threats: Habitat destruction throughout their range remains to be their primary threat. Hunting and Diet: Being primarily an arboreal dweller, its diet consists mainly of rats, birds, bats and squirrels, with the occasional reptiles, frogs and insects. Social System and Communication: Believed to be solitary and nocturnal, with vocalizations that are comparable to the domestic cats. Their ears unfold from their head at 5 days, and their eyes open by 14 days. They weigh approximately 3.5 – 4 ounces at birth. ![]() Reproduction and Offspring: After a gestation of 81 days they produce a litter of 1-4 young. Habitat: Primarily tropical forests, also reported in mixed deciduous-evergreen forests and secondary forests.ĭistribution: Southern Asia from Nepal through southeastern Asia to Borneo and Sumatra. In captivity, Marbled Cats have lived 12 years. It’s arboreal adaptations suggest that it is probably the Old World ecological equivalent of the Margay. The tail is very long and bushy, and well adapted to its arboreal lifestyle. Like the Clouded Leopard, the Marbled Cat also has relatively enlarged upper canines. The Marbled Cat has a short, more rounded head than other felines, with a wide forehead and large pupils. There are black spots on its limbs and some black lines on the head and neck. It has thick, soft fur, which varies from brownish gray through yellow to reddish brown in color, and is covered in large blotches, which are paler in the center. Size and Appearance: The Marbled Cat is like a miniature version of the Clouded Leopard, weighing between 9-18 pounds and reaching lengths of 32-46 inches. However, it may have also diminished in size more recently due to competition with other big cats. Perhaps, this little cat is similar in form to the forest ancestors of the big cats some 10 million years ago (Collier and O’Brien, 1985). Misc: Genetic studies of this cats blood serum, shows that it shares an identical karyotype with Lynx, Panthera and Uncia, leaving this cats evolutionary history somewhat of a taxonomic puzzle.
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