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Prionailurus bengalensis
– Least Concern
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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MAMMALIA
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Order:
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CARNIVORA
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Family:
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FELIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Prionailurus bengalensis
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Species Authority:
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(Kerr, 1792)
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Infra-specific Taxa Assessed:
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See Prionailurus bengalensis ssp. iriomotensis
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Common Name/s:
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LEOPARD CAT (Eng)
CHAT DE CHINE (Fre)
CHAT-LÉOPARD DU BENGALE (Fre)
GATO BENGALÍ (Spa)
GATO DE BENGALA (Spa)
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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LC ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2002
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Assessor/s:
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Cat Specialist Group
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Evaluator/s:
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Nowell, K., Breitenmoser, U., Breitenmoser, C. & Jackson, P. (Cat Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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Based on estimates of density and geographic range (Nowell and Jackson 1996), the leopard cat’s total effective population size is estimated at greater than 50,000 mature breeding individuals, but with a declining trend due to persecution and degradation of its habitat and prey base.
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History:
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| 1996 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) |
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Geographic Range
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Countries:
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Native:
Bhutan; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; China; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Japan; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Korea, Republic of; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Malaysia; Nepal; Pakistan; Philippines; Russian Federation; Singapore; Taiwan, Province of China; Thailand; Viet Nam
Uncertain presence and origin:
Afghanistan; Macao
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Population
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Population:
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Leopard cats are common (relative to other felids) across much of their range. Island populations are the most vulnerable. In the Philippines, the two populations (Palawan and Negros Islands), thought to be composed of two separate subspecies, are listed as Vulnerable in the 1997 Philippines Red Data Book. There is debate among cat specialists about whether the Iriomote cat, found only on the small Japanese island of Iriomote off the eastern coast of Taiwan, is a unique species (as suggested by morphology) or an isolated subspecies of Leopard Cat (as suggested by genetic analysis). As a species, the Iriomote cat would qualify as Critically Endangered and the world’s most threatened cat, with a single population of less than 100 animals. On Japan’s Tsushima islands, leopard cats are estimated to number less than 100, down from perhaps 200-300 individuals in the 1960s-1970s. They are uncommon on the island of Taiwan, and there is concern about their status in the Russian Far East (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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The species can range up to 3,000 m in parts of its range, which extends into the Himalayas along river valleys. It occurs in a broad spectrum of habitats, from tropical rainforest to temperate broadleaf and, marginally, coniferous forest, as well as shrub forest and successional grasslands. The northern boundaries of its range are limited by snow cover; the leopard cat avoids areas where snow is more than 10 cm deep. It is not found in the cold steppe grasslands, and generally does not occur in arid zones, although there are a few records from relatively dry and treeless areas in Pakistan (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
Leopard cats occur commonly in dense secondary growth, including logged areas, and have been found in agricultural and forest (rubber tree, oil palm) plantations. The species can live close to rural settlements, occasionally raiding poultry, and have recently been reported from the outskirts of Beijing, where they were thought to have disappeared years ago (Nowell and Jackson 1996). Leopard cats are excellent swimmers, and have successfully colonized offshore islands throughout their range (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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System:
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Terrestrial; Freshwater; Marine
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Threats
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Threats:
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In China, the center of its range, commercial exploitation has been heavy, especially in the south-west. Hundreds of thousands of Leopard Cat skins per year were exported until Europe stopped imports in the late 1980's over concern for the species status. Island populations are seriously threatened in the Philippines and Japan. Leopard cats can hybridize with domestic cats, as is shown by the popular domestic breed, the "safari cat". Hybridization in the wild has been reported (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Included on CITES Appendix II; Populations of Bangladesh, India and Thailand are included on Appendix I. The species is protected at the national level over part of its range, with hunting prohibited in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia (except Sabah), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Taiwan, and hunting and trade regulations in place in South Korea, Laos and Singapore (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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