Rusty-Spotted Cat

Rusty-Spotted Cat Latest News

For the first time ever, the elusive rusty-spotted cat was found frolicking in the jungles of West Bengal’s Purulia district recently. 

About Rusty-Spotted Cat

• It is the world’s smallest and lightest known cat.
• Scientific Name: Prionailurus rubiginosus

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Rusty-Spotted Cat Distribution 

• The species has been recorded in dry deciduous and semi-deciduous forests in northern and central India, Western Ghats, Kachchh and Rajasthan, and peninsular India, besides Nepal and Sri Lanka.
• India holds 80 percent of the cat’s total population.

Rusty-Spotted Cat Features

• It weighs less than 1.5 kilograms, about half the size of a domestic cat. 
• They have a fawn-grey coloured coat with their eponymous rusty spots on their back and flanks. 
• Their head is short, rounded, and marked with two white streaks on the inner edges of the eyes. 
• The eyes are fairly large with irises of greyish brown to amber. Its large eyes may be an adaptation to its nocturnal behaviour.
• Their legs are relatively short, and their feet have black soles. 
• The tail is moderately long, more rusty coloured than the body, and unmarked.

Rusty-Spotted Cat Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

Rusty-Spotted Cat FAQs

Q1. Is the rusty-spotted cat extinct?

Ans. The rusty-spotted cat is currently classified as Near Threatened (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Q2. What is the world’s biggest cat?

Ans. The world’s biggest cat is the tiger (Panthera tigris). Among tigers, the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) holds the record as the largest subspecies.

Q3. What is the deadliest feral cat?

Ans. Black-footed cats are Africa’s smallest cat and the deadliest of the entire cat family – with a 60 percent hunting success rate.

Source: TP