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Mammals

Jungle
Cat

Least Concern

Decreasing

Jungle Cat

Felis chaus

The jungle cat also called reed cat and swamp cat, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral and riparian areas with dense vegetation. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, and is mainly threatened by destruction of wetlands, trapping and poisoning. The jungle cat has a uniformly sandy, reddish-brown or grey fur without spots; melanistic and albino individuals are also known. It is solitary in nature, except during the mating season and mother-kitten families. Adults maintain territories by urine spraying and scent marking. Its preferred prey is small mammals and birds. It hunts by stalking its prey, followed by a sprint or a leap; the ears help in pinpointing the location of prey.

Reed cat, Swamp cat

Regional Names
  • Bengali:
    বন বিড়াল
  • Gujarati:
    જંગલી બિલાડી
  • Hindi:
    जंगली बिल्ली
  • Kannada:
    ಕಾಡು ಬೆಕ್ಕು
  • Malayalam:
    കാട്ടുപൂച്ച
  • Nepali:
    वन बिरालो
  • Tamil:
    காட்டுப்பூனை
Media Gallery
Taxanomy

CARNIVORA
FELIDAE
Felis chaus

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