Rusty-Spotted Cat

Rusty-Spotted Cat Latest News

The Rusty-spotted Cat, a rare and one of the world’s smallest cats, was recently spotted in the Shergarh forest of Baran district in Rajasthan.

About Rusty-Spotted Cat

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

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Distribution of  Rusty-Spotted Cat

• 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.

Features of  Rusty-Spotted Cat

• It weighs less than 1.5 kilograms and is 20 to 29 inches in length, about half the size of a domestic cat.
• The fur is short and soft, with the upper parts a grizzled brownish grey, tinged with rufous to varying degrees and marked with rust-brown spots.
• There are horizontal bars on the legs and chest; the belly and inner sides of the legs are white.
• Their head is short and 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.
• Very active and agile, this cat is small, but extremely fierce. It is primarily nocturnal, resting in dense cover during the daytime.
• Conservation Status: IUCN Red List: Near Threatened.

Source: Research matters