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| Scientific Name: Felis chaus |
Size: Head and body 19.5-29.5 inches
(50-75cm);
tail 8.5-11.5 inches (22-29cm) |
| Weight: 15.5-35 pounds (7-16kg) |
| Distribution: Wide distribution from
N.E. Africa through to the Orient. Found in Egypt, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran,
Afghanistan, S. Russia, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam,
and W.China. |
| Habitat: Wide variety of habitats
from wet reed beds, grasslands, thickets, broken woodland and forests. |
| Diet: Feeds mainly on small rodents
and birds. Also eat lizards, frogs, beetles, snakes and fish. |
| Reproduction: After a gestation period
of 63-68 days, female gives birth to 2-4 kittens. |
| Status: Least
Concern |
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| Also known as the Chaus; the Swamp
Cat or Swamp Lynx; the Reed Cat or Reit-Kat; and Jangli-billi (in India). This
highly successful, adaptable feline is a cat for all seasons and almost all habitats.
The only environments it shuns are the two extremes of dense rain forest and arid
desert. It is a cat of moderation in all things, not only environmental, but also
color, size, shape and diet. A flexible, all-purpose cat, it has thrived through
its determined lack |
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of
specialization. Its short, pale brown coat varies from sandy-gray to rich tawny-red.
From a distance there appear to be no markings on it at all, but closer inspection
reveals a few faint bands on the legs and tail. The ears are sharply pointed,
with long black hairs at their tips creating small ear-tufts. The tail is rather
short for a cat.
A long-legged animal, the Jungle Cat is a fast-moving species that has been timed
at 14 miles (23km) per hour. Although it can climb well, it prefers to remain
at ground-level whenever possible. Its habitat include reed beds, grasslands,
thickets, broken woodland, and even some forests. It is less shy of approaching
human habitation than many other wild cat species. As a precaution, it often has
more than one den available to it at any one time, giving itself flexibility even
in retreat. As a hunter, it is more diurnal than most other small cats. The preferred
diet consists of rats, mice, lizards, and frogs.
The breeding season varies in different parts of its wide range and in captivity
it will breed at any time of the year. Courtship and mating activities are very
similar to those of the domestic cat. Like some other wild felines, the Jungle
Cat female provides a snug, fur-lined nest for its litter, which usually consists
of three or four kittens.
Surprisingly, considering the size difference, fertile female hybrids have successfully
been produced between captive Jungle Cats and domestic cats. In this connection,
it is interesting to recall that the ancient Egyptians mummified this species
as well as the ordinary African Wild Cat. Of 190 skulls of mummified cats examined
by the Natural History Museum in London, 187 turned out to be ordinary Wild Cats
and three proved to be Jungle Cats. This may be a very small proportion of Jungle
Cats, but it nevertheless suggests that the early Egyptians had tried their hand
at domesticating this larger species as well as the smaller one. The tawny-colored,
ticked coat of the Jungle Cat is so reminiscent of the coat of the domesticated
Abyssinian Cat that it is tempting to see a connection here and to suggest that,
perhaps, the Jungle Cat did play a minor role in the development of our modern
domestic cats. At present, however, this is pure speculation and it would require
a sustained interbreeding program to test the point further. |
| JUNGLE
CAT PHOTOS |
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