Rusty-spotted Cat

About this species

Size

Head and body 35–48cm; tail 15–30cm

Weight

0.9–1.6kg

Diet

Mainly rodents and birds; also lizards, frogs and insects

Habitat

Moist and dry deciduous forest, scrub and grassland, favouring dense vegetation and rocky ground; likely absent from evergreen forest

Litter size

1–2 kittens

Gestation

65–70 days

The rusty-spotted cat is one of the smallest wild cats in the world and the smallest in Asia. The short fur is reddish grey with rusty spots on the back and flanks, four blackish lines run over the eyes, and the underparts and inner legs are whitish with small brownish spots. The bushy tail is about half the length of the body and is plain reddish grey. It is native to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka (Wikipedia, general species account).

It was long thought to be confined to southern India, but records now show it over much of the country, including Gir in Gujarat, Tadoba-Andhari and Nagzira in Maharashtra, the Eastern Ghats, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in the Terai, and Kalesar National Park in Haryana. In western Maharashtra it breeds in a farmed landscape where rodents are plentiful. Little is known of its wild behaviour: most records are after dark, and it hunts mainly on the ground with quick, darting movements, taking to trees to escape larger predators (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)