Rusty-spotted cat

The rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is one of the cat family's smallest members. It lives in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. These tiny cats are special because they are among the smallest wild cats in the world.

Since 2016, the rusty-spotted cat has been listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. This means that its numbers are getting smaller because of changes to its home, especially the loss of deciduous forests. Protecting these forests is very important to help keep the rusty-spotted cat safe for the future.

Taxonomy

The rusty-spotted cat was first described by a scientist named Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1831 using a specimen from Pondicherry, India. Later, in 1858, another scientist named Nikolai Severtzov introduced the name Prionailurus for this type of cat. In 1939, Reginald Innes Pocock described another specimen from Sri Lanka and placed it under the same genus, Prionailurus.

Phylogeny

Studies of DNA from all cat species show that cats began to spread out in Asia during a time called the Miocene, around 14 to 8 million years ago. The cats in the Prionailurus group, including the rusty-spotted cat, share a common ancestor that lived between 8 and 5 million years ago. The rusty-spotted cat likely split from this group between 7 and 3 million years ago. It was the first in this group to separate, followed by the flat-headed cat and the fishing cat. The relationships between these cats can be seen in a special chart called a cladogram.

Characteristics

The rusty-spotted cat has short reddish-grey fur with rusty spots on its back and sides. It has four dark lines over its eyes, two of which continue down its neck, and six dark streaks on each side of its head. Its chin, throat, and belly are whitish with tiny brown spots, and it has a rusty band on its chest. The cat's paws and tail are a uniform reddish-grey.

It is the smallest wild cat in Asia and is about the same size as the black-footed cat. It measures between 35 to 48 cm (14 to 19 in) in body length, with a tail that is 15 to 30 cm (5.9 to 11.8 in) long, and weighs between 0.9 to 1.6 kg (2.0 to 3.5 lb). Its bushy tail is about half the length of its body.

Distribution and habitat

The rusty-spotted cat lives in specific areas, mainly in moist and dry deciduous forests, scrub, and grassland. It likes places with dense plants and rocks, but it is not found in evergreen forests.

In India, this cat was once thought to live only in the south, but we now know it is found across much of the country. It has been seen in places like Gir National Park in Gujarat, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, and along India’s Eastern Ghats. Cameras have also captured it in Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary. Even in areas where people farm, the cat survives well where there are many rodents. It has also been spotted in Kalesar National Park in Haryana and in Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.

In Nepal, the cat was first photographed in Bardia National Park in 2012 and later in Shuklaphanta National Park in 2016.

In Sri Lanka, the cat lives in both montane and lowland rainforests. There are two groups, one in the dry zone and another in the wet zone. In 2016, it was seen for the first time in Horton Plains National Park at heights between 2,084 and 2,162 meters.

Ecology and behaviour

Very little is known about the rusty-spotted cat in its natural habitat. In captivity, these cats are mostly active at night but may also be seen during the day. In the wild, they are usually seen after dark. In Horton Plain National Park in Sri Lanka, they are mostly seen between sunset and sunrise, with little activity during the day. Some have been found hiding in trees and caves.

These cats eat mainly rodents and birds, but they also hunt lizards, frogs, and insects. They hunt on the ground, making quick movements to catch their food. They may climb trees to escape larger animals that might harm them. Both male and female cats mark their area by spraying urine.

Reproduction

A female cat is ready to have babies for five days, and mating happens very quickly. This short time may help keep her safe from larger animals. She builds a nest in a hidden spot, and after about 65 to 70 days, she gives birth to one or two kittens. The newborn kittens weigh only about 60 to 77 grams and have rows of black spots. They grow and develop the adult coat pattern of rusty blotches by about 68 weeks. In captivity, these cats can live up to twelve years, but how long they live in the wild is still unknown.

Threats

The rusty-spotted cat faces serious challenges because of habitat loss and the spread of farming in India and Sri Lanka. While there have been some sightings of these cats in farmed and settled areas, it is unclear how well they can survive there. In some places, the cats are hunted for food or because they are seen as a threat to livestock. There have also been occasional reports of their skins being traded.

Conservation

The rusty-spotted cat is protected in many places. In India, hunting and trading these cats are not allowed. In Sri Lanka, there are rules to help protect them too.

Some of these cats are kept in zoos. As of 2010, there were 56 of them in eight different places. Eleven were in the Colombo Zoo in Sri Lanka, and 45 were in seven zoos in Europe.